
Class _,_ 

Book 

GopyriglitN 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 




Ed. J. Phillips. 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

ORIGINAL INCIDENTS 
AND STORIES 



By 

EVANGELIST ED. G. PHILLIPS 

Author of Soul Winners' Guide, also 
Solo, "A Dream of Home" 



CHICAGO 

THE EVANGELICAL PUBLISHING CO. 
602 LAKESIDE BUILDING 






International Copyright, 1911 

EVANGELICAL PUBLISHING CO. 

Chicago, 111. 
All rights reserved 



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1. While walking out one eve-ning, Not knowing where to go, 

2. I used to dance the pol - ka, The schottische and the waltz, 

3. One day, my precious comrades, You, tod, were lost in sin, 
drus. The day will soon be o - ver When digging will be done, 

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And just to pass the lone hours Be-fore we held the show, 
I al - so loved the thea - ter, Its glitter vain and false; 
When some one sought your rescue, And Jesus took you in; 
And no more gems be gathered, So let us all press on; 




-0" m -0- 

The Beth - el Mis sion Bandpass'd, All singing with their might; 
And Je - sus, when He found me, He found me ve - ry tough, 
When you are tried and tempted By sin ners' stern re -"buff, 
When Je-sus comes to claim us, And says, "It is e-nough," 



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I gave my heart to Je - sus, And left the show that night. 
But praise the Lord, He saved me, I'm a diamond in the rough. 
Don't turn a - way in an - ger, They're diamonds in the rough. 
The diamonds will be shin-ing, 'Wo Ion - ger in the rough. 

-#- -0^-0-' 




While reading thro' the Bible, 

Some wondrous sights I see, 
I read of Peter, James and John 

By the sea of Gallilee; 
And when the Savior called them, 

Their work was rude enough, . 
Y&l they were precious diamonds 

He gathered in the rough. 



5. Now ksep your lamps all burn ng, 

The iamps of holy love, 
And unto Gvery sinner 

Point out the way above; 
The dying love of Jesus, 

Will help you love the tough; 
He'll polish into beauty 

The diamond from the rough. 



By Permission. 



[Written by an ex-clown, who is uow an evangelist In Te«#. 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 



Ed. G. Phillips Frontispiece 

Mrs. Ed. G. Phillips Dedication 

After the roundup, Mr. Phillips < 

S. M. Gracy j 

A Saturday Crowd in Texas „ 16 

St. Pauls M. E. Church, Muskogee, Okla 17 

A tray of Diamonds 32 

Barney Brush 33 

Follow me and I will make you fishers of men 48 

Mr. Phillips and his friend Mr. Stevens 49 

L. J. Anderson before his Conversion * 54 

L. J. Anderson after his Conversion 1 55 

Happy Jack, burning his "blind tiger" 80 

J. N. McConnell and James A. Filer 81 

A quartette of Diamond diggers 96 

A watermellon picnic 97 

Farewell banquet for Dr. Chapman's party 112 

Choir of St. Lukes M. E. Church 113 

Dick Cargyle and Billy Downs 128 

Billv Downs Group 129 

Old Peoples meeting - 144 

Farewell at Frederick, Okla 145 

J. M. Smith 160 

A friendly Game 161 

A dispute in the game 1*^ 

The sad ending of the game *'' 

Andrew & Phillips meeting Greenville, Tex *92 

Alf Allen the converted prize-fighter l93 

xiv 



INDEX. 



A Change Wrought by Galveston Flood 116 

A Diamond in the Rough 90 

A Great Revival - 38 

A Letter from a Converted Drinker , .-. 86 

A Little Child shall lead them , 129 

A Little Talk with Jesus makes it right 79 

A Mother's Faith and Prayer _..u 194 

A New Man . 127 

Answered Prayer 85 

"A Photo Mother left Me long ago"—. 47 

Apologised to his Mule 166 

A Queer Preacher ...„ . 67 

A Remarkable Conversion 28 

A Society Lady dreamed of R. R. Song.. 32 

A Sunday in New Mexico 173 

Beginning and end of a Poker Game 187 

Billy Downs, the Gambler 139 

Broke his Father of "Cussing" 107 

Brother Groutcher 56 

Called thro' his Dream 53 

Cap has got something that makes his face shine 83 

Chapman-Alexander Meetings 113 

Cleburne, Texas, Revival 18 

Conductor saved by a Song 35 

Conversion of an Old-Time Friend u 180 

Conversion of Engineer B. Brush 40 

Conversion of J. E. Smith 112 

Conversion of Jumbo 123 

Crowds of St. Lukes' Church 199 

Didn't Know him after he got Religion 152 

Felt like "Two for a Quarter" 73 

XV 



xvi INDEX 



Frederick's Revival 138 

Gave "Teddy Bears" „ 146 

Great Revival, A 38 

Happy Jack 6 

He said he would quit 45 

His Evening Prayer ., 108 

How it occurred 190 

"I am not going to that Altar" 103 

Infidel Converted 160 

"Jeminy Do" 106 

Joe, I've got the old-time Religion 76 

Just a Common Chicken-Peddler 175 

Killed by an Alton Train 92 

"Mama, Papa don't curse anymore." 58 

No X'mas Presents for the Children I 

Prayed Twenty years for one Man 20 

Prize-Fighter now an Evangelist 202 

Quit Sunday Harvesting 1 _ 93 

Reclamation of a Preacher 100 

Remember 164 

Rescued from Ruin by a Song 143 

Sabbath-Breaking 96 

Saved 185 

Saved by Song, "Can a boy forget?" 168 

„ „ „ "Death is only a Dream" 10 

„ „ „ The Old Fireside" 14 

Saved from Suicide - 16 

Self-invited Guest 154 

So glad he was Ready to Go 45 

Sunday at Jno. Wanamaker's Church 121 

Sunday Midnight Theatre Service 115 

"Tell Billie to meet me in Heaven" 170 

"Tell Mother I'll be There" 149 

The Old Milk-Man 62 

There'll be no Christian in Hell 128 

The Revival is Unique 136 

The Revival Meetings of Claremont 23 

The Story of Geo. Cook's Conversion 162 

Three for One 24 

"Where will you spend Etenity?" 4 

Wrecked by the Wine-Cup 91 

"You talked my Right Arm Off 122 



INTRODUCTION. 



Few Books have been more widely read amongst 
pastors and evangelists than Begbie's "Twice Born Man." 
— It is the "Common Story", — common to those who 
preach Christ and deal directly with men, of men who 
were thoroughly and hopelessly bad, as the world 
thought, being reached through the Christian hand of 
love, and under God transformed and purified, becoming 
as thoroughly good and pure as they were once depraved 
and bad. 

Mr. Begbie went to London, England, for material 
out of which his great book is made, and while we thor- 
oughly enjoyed every chapter and thanked God for its 
production, we found ourselves wishing that such a book 
might be produced nearer home. That just such com- 
plete transformations were being wrought by the power 
of God here in the home-land we knew, and we have 
hoped for the time when from many sources we would 
have story after story of just such "re-births" as those 
of which Mr. Begbie writes, and we are fortunate in find- 
ing and presenting herewith a book of such a character 

xvii 



xviii INTRODUCTION 

from the life and work of Mr. Phillips, one of our Evan- 
gelists. 

Few men have stood more prominently before the 
church of the South as a personal worker than Mr. Edwin 
G. Phillips. For several years he has been contributing 
to our Magazine, "The World Wide Revival," a series 
of stories concerning men, who through his personal 
efforts have been led to Christ. He has been urged often 
to let these thrilling experiences have a wider circulation 
by placing them in book-form, and this he has finally 
consented to do. Mr. Phillips while in college, as he 
often says, "studying to be a high-steepled preacher " 
dreamed that he sat on the bank of a beautiful stream 
of water. The bank was moss covered and inviting, 
while the water was clear as crystal. He had an ex- 
pensive pole, linen line and silver hook, and sitting there 
on nature's carpet holding his expensive fishing tackle 
over this beautiful stream of sparkling water he says, 
"there was not a fish to be seen up stream or down." 
With an expensive outfit he was "just fishing." The 
scene in his dream changed. He was on a muddy, noisy 
stream. He had a fishing outfit composed of a cocklebur 
stick, string and a pin hook, and there, standing in the 
mud, with this unpromising equipment, he was landing 
great big big mud-cats as fast as he could haul them to 
shore ! 

Mr. Phillips is not visionary, he does not dream 
dreams and see visions, but there seemed to be in this 
dream, with its changing scenes, the voice of God, and 
little by little he lost his ambition to be a "high-steepled 



INTRODUCTION xix 

preacher", and there came a deeper and a still deeper 
desire to just "reach men." Finally convinced that it 
was not his mission to preach and to teach, but to sing 
and deal directly with men, one by one, he dedicated his 
life to the great field of evangelism. His success as a 
gospel-singer and chorus-director is well known through 
the many states where he has labored, but his greatest 
strength is that of reaching men — reaching hard men! 

I consider Mr. Phillips, in many important parti- 
culars, in a class by himself. I know of no one who 
has the happy faculty of approaching the unchurched 
man, indifferent, sinful man, and making him feel that 
there is someone who cares for him as can Mr. Phillips. 
And I know of no one who has the gift of Grace that 
makes it possible to persevere through the most discour- 
aging circumstance and actually snatch glorious victory, 
from what seemed complete defeat, as has he. For days 
and days I have seen him actually camp on the trail of a 
"Hopeless case," as the church believed, and, though 
defeat seemed certain, yet nineteen times out of twenty 
when he returned from the trail he had that sinner's 
heart clinging to the cross of the conquering Christ. 

The stories of experiences that follow in these pages 
are just a few of the many scores and hundreds which 
Mr. Phillips might give. These experiences are without 
"trimmings", without extra frills, for the simple reason 
that "fact is pfter stranger than fiction," and to many 
of these incidents there could be added no wonder to 
make the incident more thrilling, or the change more 
complete. These stories of "Diamonds from the Rough," 



xx INTRODUCTION 

diamonds discovered, polished and sparkling for Christ, 
cannot but stimulate the faith and increase the labors of 
the thousands into whose hands they shall come, and we 
earnestly pray that through the reading of these pages 
other men who have given up hope, may be reached and 
know the joy and power of the "New Birth." 

John Edward Brown, 

Siloam Springs, Ark. 




Mrs. Ed. J. Phillips. 



Btbltateb to 

Aifiifr (HmmtlUy fUfttHptf, 
»ja mity (Mimftti &an1fir* anb 

!}«* fctmib btr Me in All My 
Work 



IX 



PREFACE 



The title of this book "Diamonds from the Rough" 
was suggested by the little song "Diamonds in the 
Rough," written a few years ago by Charley Byron, the 
converted clown of Ft. Worth Texas. 

I present on the following pages the song, having 
secured permission from owner of copy-right of same. 

Mr. Byron was traveling with a large circus, and while 
showing in Ft. Worth he dressed in his clown suit one 
night and went strolling down the street to attract the 
crowds and head them toward the circus. 

He passed by what was then called the Bethel Mission 
and heard them singing. He dropped in, thinking he 
might catch some religious joke that he could crack in 
the circus ring, and have a laugh on the church folk. 

As he took a seat a woman approached him and asked 
him if he would be a Christian ; to her astonishment he 
said "yes." She and others prayed for him and he was 
saved right there. He says in the first stanza of the song 
"I gave my heart to Jesus and quit the show that night ;" 
he did, and his life was a blessing to thousands in Texas 

xi 



Xll 



PREFACE 



who chanced to hear him preach. He was working under 
a forfeit of twenty-five hundred dollars. When he quit 
the show it cost him something like three thousand dol- 
lars to get away from his job. He received a salary of 
four hundred dollars per month for acting the fool. I 
find many people these days who play the fool for noth- 
ing and board themselves. 




"AFTER THE ROUNDUP". 

While holding meetings in West Texas one day a cow-boy asked 
Mr. Phillips to go out and assist them to round-up a herd of cattle, 
not knowing that he had been reared on a farm and ranch. He 
donned a cow-boy outfit, mounted a spirited horse and bounded 
away across the plains and made a full hand all day, to the sur- 
prise and delight of all the cow-boys, and later led the owner of 
the cow-pony to Christ. 




S. M. Gracy. Six months after Conversion 
(see page 16, "Saved from Suicide") 



NO CHRISTMAS PRESENTS FOR THE 
CHILDREN. 



TRAVELING salesman stood in one of 
our men's meetings and asked for pray- 
ers, after hearing a very strong sermon 
by Evangelist Lovic Pierce Law on 
"Sowing and Reaping." At the close 
^£>0^ sq3^ of the service this song was sung: "Be 
Kind to a Man When He's Down." 
He went away, and the next day told the city mayor 
this sad story, the sequel of which turned his footsteps 
heavenward. He said : "I have certainly been down, but 
that song has given me new courage, and I want you 
and the Christian people to pray for me and help me to 
stand." He further said : "I have been an awful drunk- 
ard and have almost broken my wife's heart. I went in 
off my run a day or two before Christmas. I was so 
drunk I did not want to go home, so I went to the hotel 
and went to bed, and told the proprietor not to let my 
wife know I was there or even in the city (St. Joe, Mo.) 
I staid there some time, until the holidays were over, then 
went home, heart-sore, sick and dejected. Wife met me 
at the door and said: "Husband, where in the world 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 



have you been? Babies and I have been so lonesome. 
We have looked for you all these long, weary days and 
nights, and thought sure you would write. What is the 
matter, husband? Do tell me where you have been/ 
'Been to the hotel sick.' 'You are very sick, aren't you?' 
'Yes.' 'Drunk, aren't you?' 'Yes.' 'How long have 
you been drunk?' 'Several days.' 'Have you brought 
any Christmas presents for the children.' 'No.' " At 
the thought of this it seemed his heart would break. 
" 'Have you any money?" 'No.' 'Where is your last 
month's wages?' (The wages of sin is death, and he had 
almost realized that even before he reached the end of 
life.) 'Did you say, where are my wages?' 'Yes.' 
'Spent for liquor.' 'Have you paid our last month's 
grocery bill?' 'No.' 'You are very sick, aren't you, 
John?' 'Yes, wife, please put me to bed.' 'Alright, dear, 
I will. Come right to this warm room and lay down. I 
have had this bed ready for you all these days, awaiting 
your return.' " 

She put him to bed, bathed his feet and hands with 
warm water and his face and head with hot tears, gave 
him clean linen and put him to sleep. While he slept she 
worked and prayed. iShe took what small change he 
had left in his pockets and what she could find about 
the premises, and went to the toy shops and purchased 
some cheap toys for the children and got a nice little 
testament for the poor, heart-broken husband and placed 
it under his head while he slept. 

He got up from his bed the second day walked into 
the dining room and sat down to the table, with his 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 



wife and children to the scanty meal that she had man- 
aged to prepare. She never said a word, perhaps thought 
many; tried to eat, but she could not, tried to keep back 
the tears, but her efforts failed ; though her heart was 
bleeding she was kind to him. He sat and looked at 
her a moment and then at the children, finally got up 
and walked around to where she sat, put his arms about 
her queenly form, fell down upon his knees' and said : 
"You are the best wife that God ever gave a man, and 
if you will forgive me for being a brute, from this day 
on I will be the best husband that God ever gave a 
woman, and today I will pledge you on my honor that 
another drop of liquor will never go down my throat." 

In a day he was sober as a Methodist preacher. He 
left his home to go out on his regular trip. On the first 
train he met some of the old friends of his reckless days, 
who had helped him squander his money and debauch 
his soul. They said: "Hello, John! Happy new year! 
Come take something." 

"No, I have just gone through enough trouble this 
Christmas to break the heart of any man, caused from 
liquor, and I have taken my last drink with you boys." 

"Oh, come now, don't get pious. Guess you have 
been to meeting. Come, boys, let's make old John take 
a new year drink with us. Let's pour it down him." 

This stirred what little manhood he had left. He 
straightened himself up and said : "There may be enough 
of you boys to do that. You can take me down and 
hog-tie me and pour it down me. But," he clinched his 
fist and said, "the first man of you that lays hands on 



4 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

me, I will knock him through that car window and 
stand him on his head in the snow on the outside." 

This was enough. They left him alone. He went his 
way rejoicing over the great victory he had won for 
himself, his wife and his babies, and when I saw him and 
talked with him he was a sober man, seeking to live a 
pure life, and always with money to pay house rent, 
grocery bills and some to send Santa Clause for Christmas 
presents. 

WHERE WILL YOU SPEND ETERNITY? 

In my first meeting at Siloam Springs, Ark., now my 
home, I had a peculiar experience. I was invited there 
by Evangelist Jno. B. Andrews to conduct the music. 
The meeting very soon came to be the sensation of the 
town. We had a large union choir and, perhaps, the best 
ever had in the city, so far as I know. We sang a song 
one that seemed to be a favorite, "We're Going to Spend 
Eternity Singing Around the Throne." The meeting 
closed and we went to other fields of labor. 

There were some movers passing through the town 
and camped just below the tent down near the Siloam 
Springs. They were going from Missouri to Oklahoma, 
seeking a home. One of the men, a man of perhaps fifty 
years of age, heard the song, as they were camped so 
near the tent. Next morning they broke camp and went 
on their journey to the new country. But leaving the 
camp did not leave the conviction behind which had 
been sent to his sinful heart. He told me five years after 
this that he went to Oklahoma and moved twice while out 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 



there trying to get away from his convictions, but said, 
"every where that he went he could hear the song ring- 
ing in his ears," "We're Going to spend Eternity Sing- 
ing Around the Throne." Yes, he said, I believe those 
Christians will. But where will I spend eternity? Finally 
he moved back to Missouri and remained a year or two 
and this same conviction stayed with him, so he decided 
to try Oklahoma again and packed up and started. He 
was passing through Benton County and saw a notice 
of a big tent meeting to be held at Siloam Springs by 
Brown and Phillips. He made up his mind he was going 
right down to the meeting where he had been convicted 
several years before and get right with God. He did 
come and came forward for prayer the first night. As 
I went and sat down by his side to talk to him. He said 
"Is this Bro. Phillips?" I said "Yes." Then he told me 
his story. Plow he had wandered from state to state 
"seeking rest but finding none." He said I camped here 
near this place five years ago and heard some people 
in a tent-meeting singing a song about eternity and I 
have been hearing it all the time since then. And I 
came here to get saved tonight... We had a prayer; I 
instructed him in the ways of truth and righteousness 
and led him up to trust it all to Christ. When we arose 
from prayer he took me by the hand and said, "I trust 
Him and rle fully saves me; now I know where I will 
spend Eternity. He joined the church that night and 
stayed in town until the meeting was over. I went on 
my way holding meetings and did not think much about 



6 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

my man, only I rejoiced to know that he was saved and 
on his way to heaven. 

A few years later I was holding a meeting with 
Evangelist Law in Southwest Missouri. Had only been 
in the town a day or two when crossing the street one 
day I heard some one say, "Hello Bro. Phillips." I 
could not tell from what direction the voice came, so I 
stopped and looked around and I saw an old white-headed 
man standing in the alley. He motioned me to come up. 
I went up to him. He held out his hand and said You 
don't know me, No, I don't believe I remember you." 
"Oh," he said, "We're going to spend Eternity Singing 
Around the Throne." "Yes, yes of course I know you 
and will meet you over there." The poor old man was 
just a wood sawer on the streets and the snow was deep 
and cold. But he said, "I keep warm by sawing sticks 
and singing songs about where we will spend eternity." 
I gave him a hearty hand shake and kind word and while 
it was cold without, I had a fire within that the world 
knows not nor can not take away. I was just as happy 
over this and, perhaps more so, as I would have been if 
he had been president of the city bank. 

HAPPY JACK. 

There are many whom we meet on life's pathway 
who carry a bewitching smile and would impress the 
casual observer that nothing but sunshine and happiness 
reigns within, when too often, it is just the reverse. 
Shadows and sourness, despondency and gloom reign 
supremely within, and the outward "petrified grin" usu- 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 



ally reveals to the close observer the absolute restless- 
ness and discontentment hidden in the human heart. 

Occasionally it is my unavoidable privilege to stumble 
upon such characters, as was the case in the meeting in 
which this incident occurred. 

There was a man in the town who was running a 
"Joint," better known in Texas as a "Frosty." From his 
congenial disposition and happy-go-lucky way he had 
acquired the very catchy name of "Happy Jack" and he 
was a terror to the Christians and a leader among his 
unsaved associates. Most of the Christian people were 
actually afraid of him. In his place he had every thing 
from a dice box to a "cock pit" and he kept them running 
when he could. In telling this I do not mean to cast any 
slurs at the man, for he is my friend today; I only want 
to show how the grace of God can clean a man up. 

The meeting had been running for several days before 
he ever attended and was getting quite interesting when 
he did come. The first time he came, I said to the evan- 
gelist, "There is one of the biggest diamonds I have 
seen lately." He said, "Well, I hope you can land him." 
"I will do my best if you will help me." "Alright," said 
he, I stood at the door as the crowd was passing out 
that night and as he came by I took him by the hand and 
said : "Well, Jack, you have been in sin long enough. 
I want you to quit tonight and start for Heaven." He 
grasped my hand and as he went away thanked me for 
my interest and said, "I will think about it." 

As the meeting continued the interest grew and many 
were saved. Nearly everybody was watching "Happy 



8 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

Jack." The next time he came I stopped him as he left 
the house and said, "Well, old fellow, your name may 
sound happy and you may try to make people believe 
you are happy, but you are not. You are the most miser- 
able man I ever saw and I know it and am asking the 
Lord to save you and make a sure enough happy man of 
you." He continued to come to the meeting, though 
resisted all the calls up to the last day, which service I 
shall never forget. It was quite rainy and we did not 
expect many out" the closing service, so the public 
school dismissed for the last day's meeting. We began 
the service with song and testimony, which continued 
for quite a while. Then Mr. Andrews preached his fare- 
well sermon to young converts, admonishing them to 
stand fast for the cause they had so recently espoused. 
At the close of the sermon the call for confessing Christ 
was given and many were coming forward, indicating 
their intention to live for Christ. Almost every man in 
the house came forward. "Happy Jack" was standing 
there like a great tree with all its limbs stripped from it, 
as most all his pals had been converted. The final and 
last call was made something like this: "If there is a 
man in the house who will have to lose anything finan- 
cially by giving up sin and quitting his business, I'll see 
to it that the Christian people of this town stand by him 
and he does not lose anything." Every eye was turned 
to "Happy Jack" for they knew to whom the evangelist 
was talking. The moment was a supreme one for 
him — to accept Christ and quit sin or continue in sin 
and lose his soul. The suspense was awful; the people 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 9 

were watching him. He was tall, straight, square-shoul- 
dered and rather fine looking. As the last stanza of the 
last song was rolling forth with mighty force, "When 
the roll is called up yonder, I'll be there." "If you will 
come, down and take me by the hand say so now," Jack 
made a step, somebody said "Amen!" I said, "Well 
glory." By that time he was down nearly to the front. 
Well, talk about shouting, we had it there that day. After 
his profession some one said, "Now Jack, please make a 
statement as to what you will lose in becoming a Chris- 
tian." He stepped forward on the platform and like 
-the man that he was, said, "My fellow citizens and 
friends: I have nothing to lose, but, praise the Lord, all 
to gain and I'm so glad I have accepted the bargain. 
Thank you from my heart for the interest you took in 
me." 

This service ran till one o'clock, then we hurried off 
to dinner. While we were eating the phone rang and 
the pastor said to us, "Come down on the square im- 
mediately, we are going to have a show." We rushed 
down as soon as dinner was over and found piled high 
in the center of the public square the entire contents of 
the "blind tiger." He had taken down everything in his 
place and stacked it out there to burn. There were jugs, 
bottles, barrels, tables, dead roosters, killed in the "cock 
pits," cards, dice and everything that makes a firstclass 
or tenth class "Joint." To this pile of rubbish he applied 
a five gallon can of oil. Then Jack touched the thing off. 
And nearly a thousand people stood on the streets and 
in the mud and sang, "It Is Truly Wonderful," while 



10 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

this heap of implements, or instruments of the devil went 
up in flames. The excitement ran high as we sang and 
shouted. We took up an offering to assist the fellow in 
starting up some kind of legitimate business and some- 
thing like $150.00 was raised for him. 

We had a final farewell meeting at the depot and 
short talks were made, then we sang "Sweet By and By." 
Just as we closed the song and said good-by, Jack's step- 
son, a grown young man, was happily saved and as the 
train rolled out from the station the last thing we heard 
was, "When the roll is called up yonder, I'll be there." 

Later — The last time I was in Ladonia, Jack's home, 
I asked the hotel proprietor where Jack was and what 
he was doing now. "Oh," said he, "Jack has been away 
holding revival meetings all summer and he is stirring 
things up, too, wherever he goes." 

SAVED BY THE SONG, "DEATH IS ONLY A 
DREAM." 

Some meetings are more productive of peculiar and 
remarkable incidents than others. Where the power 
of the Holy Spirit is manifested as it was at the Green- 
ville revival we always notice more wonderful things 
than in ordinary meetings. One night Evangelist An- 
drews asked me to sing "Death is Only a Dream" and 
made some comment upon the song before I sang it, say- 
ing these were the dying words of a Christian girl to her 
mother just before she passed away. There were two 
sisters and a brother sitting in the congregation at that 
time. But neither of us were aware of the fact. A few 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 11 

nights after an elegant lady came to me and told me that 
it was her sisters of whom we had spoken, and at the 
same time introduced me to two more of the sisters and 
all three of them requested that I sing the song again, 
as they had a very wicked brother there that night, for 
whom they were praying and they hoped that the refer- 
ence to the last words of their sainted sister would touch 
his heart. 

The song was sung as requested with the incident 
related just as it had occurred. The wayward boy was 
there, and heard the message from the God thru song. 
When the altar call was made he was among the large 
number who came forward and surrendered to God and 
as I shook his hand he kindly smiled and said, "Brother 
Phillips, I thank you for singing that song. I have given 
myself to the Lord and will try by the Grace of God to 
meet my sainted sister in heaven." 

The strange part about this incident was this : 
Eighteen years before I had heard this boy's father 
preach a touching sermon on heaven and he quoted part of 
the song and told about the last words of his dying 
daughter. 

At the close of his sermon he asked all unsaved people 
who would give up sin, accept Christ and try to meet 
him in heaven to come shake hands with him. I with 
several others went; a few months after I was happily 
saved and have been trying to sing this wonderful story 
to dying men, since the Lord saved me. That faithful 
preacher has gone to his reward years ago, but his work 
lives after he has gone. 



12 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

ANSWERED PRAYER. 

I was singing in a revival meeting not long ago in a 
Southern city in which a remarkable answer to prayer 
occurred. There was a family there that I had known 
at an other time, in fact I had held a meeting there before, 
and the husband had manifested some interest and really 
made a profession of religion. But he failed to unite 
with the church, and as his associates and partner in 
business were neither Christians, his surroundings were 
not conducive to a religious life, consequently he fell by 
the wayside. 

I noticed at the beginning of the meeting the wife 
came out to the services alone and always seemed to 
have a sad face. The first opportunity I got I asked 
where her husband was and why he did not come to the 
meetings, at the same time expressing a desire to meet 
him and have a talk with him. She looked me straight 
in the face and said, "Brother Phillips he wont be at 
the meeting at all. He is not well and is now preparing 
to start to Oklahoma soon and, more than that, he doesn't 
like you and don't want to see you." (It's passingly 
strange how many men get the Oklahoma, Mexico or 
Cuban fever and want to leave home as soon as a revival 
starts.) I looked her squarely in the face and said: 

"Sister S that man ain't sick and I'm sorry you said 

he didn't like me, for I love him and am anxious to see 
him and have been praying for him for two years and ex- 
pect to continue until he is saved." "Well, I hope he 
will be, but he is going off tomorrow." "Well," I said, 
"he is running from God and this meeting and I am going 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 13 

to pray that God will send him back and get saved in 
this meeting." "Alright," she said. By this time she 
saw I meant business and she became interested too. 

He left next day as he had planned. The meeting 
continued with increasing interest; many were being 
saved; I prayed for him almost hourly and my heart 
went out to him continuously. He went to Western 
Oklahoma to be gone several weeks for his health. He 
reached his destination, took in the situation, settled 
down for a quiet time. He stayed one day and one night 
got desperately sick, home sick or sin sick, took the 
train for home next morning and landed back there in 
about five days from the time he had departed. 

Passing down the street one morning I met him. 
"Oh," I said, "I thought you were in Oklahoma." "Yes, 
I was there, but I am here now." "Yes, I see you are. 
Guess you are coming to the meeting, ain't you." "Don't 
know. I'm not well." I pointed my finger in his face 
and said : "You are not sick. You have misnamed it. 
You are running from God." I said, "I have been pray- 
ing for you and I still love you and you must not run 
any longer." He looked at me a moment and said: 
"And you still love me and pray for me, are you going 
to hang on to me as long as I live?" "Yes," said I, "just 
as long as you live I will hold on to you." "Well if that 
be the case I'll come." He came and for days was an 
anxious seeker for salvation, at times almost giving up. 
We held on, he prayed, his wife prayed and finally went 
down under the heavy strain and was confined to her 
bed. The last night of the meeting a friend brought him 



14 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

to the altar and remained there for nearly an hour. At 
last I got down by him, put my arms around him and 
said, "Clint, I am going to stay here till you get saved or 
be here when the sun rises tomorrow morning/' He said, 
"Well, here goes for salvation or I'll die here," and sure 
enough he did die. For in one minute he was on his feet 
rejoicing, shouting and shaking hands with his family and 
friends. Next morning his wife, tho feeble, accompanied 
him to the meeting and every time I caught a glimpse 
of her beaming eyes and his shining face it sent a thrill 
through my soul and made me shout at the top of my 
voice. It is truly wonderful what God has done. 

A few months later I passed through that city and 
ran down to his place to speak a word with him. "Oh," 
said he, "before I was converted I never had time to go 
to church ; now I go twice on (Sunday and once or twice 
each week and have time to read from one to seven 
chapters in the Bible every night. "Oh," he said, "God 
has been so good to let me live to see these good days 
and just remember, Bro. Phillips, if I never see you 
again, bye and bye, we'll meet up yonder to be with Him 
forever." 

SAVED BY THE SONG: "THE OLD FIRE-SIDE/' 

In 1906 we were engaged in a union evangelistic cam- 
paign in the city of Port Arthur, Texas. One day a 
young man came to our room to get our suits to press 
them for us. I gave him a special invitation to attend 
the meetings and also invited him to sing in the choir. 
He said, "Oh I have been coming to the meetings and I 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 15 

like to attend very much, would like to sing in the choir, 
but I can't now. When I was a boy at home I used to 
go to church every Sunday with my mother and sing 
in the choir all the time." Then I said, "Well old fellow, 
come on to the revival and enjoy the music and we will 
make it interesting for you if we can." He bade me 
good morning, took the suits to clean and press, and 
as he left the room said, "I hope you will pray for me 
that I may g£t right, and enjoy religion as I once did." 
I promised to pray for him and to help him all I could, 
and we shook hands and parted. 

The following night before singing I asked the Lord 
to help me, that I might sing the right song that night 
to suit his peculiar case; my mind was directed to this 
song, "The Old Fire Side." Before singing I said, 
"now young men, if you will listen while I sing this song, 
it will take you back to your old country home in your 
early childhood days, and show you your dear old mother 
and father, the large family all seated around the old 
time open fire-place and as the close of day draws nigh 
you see father take down the great family Bible, slowly 
turn its pages until he comes to the twenty-third Psalm, 
or the 55th chapter of Isaiah and then, with sweet hal- 
lowed voice softly and plainly read a beautiful lesson 
from this grand old book. 

"While I look the pictures change, 

And I see my mothers face, 
In her hand the Bible worn and stained with tears, 

But the light is shining still, and within the 
hallowed place, 
There is comfort for earth's grief and doubts and fears." 



16 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

The song was ended, the sermon preached, and at 
the close of the service this young man came forward 
and surrendered his life to God, saying as he did so, "I 
have been an awful sinner, have wandered away from my 
home, spent all I have ever made in gambling and drink- 
ing and living a fast life. Lost a good law practice thru 
dissipation and am ashamed to let my people know 
where I am." "Tho," he said, "that song brought me 
back to my early training and tonight I will, by the grace 
of God turn my way homeward and heavenward," and 
he did. He united with the church, joined the choir, 
went back to his room that night and led his sick brother 
to Christ, who had not been able to attend the meeting. 

Six months later I was back in that city and he had 
been licensed to preach, had entered a Methodist school 
and was preparing for the ministry. He sent me word 
he was happy and was expecting to soon be out in the 
work of soul winning, trying to lead men in the paths of 
truth and rightousness. 

SAVED FROM SUICIDE. 

"Sam, are you going to church with me to-night?" 
"Go to church! no, of course I'll not go to church. 

What do I want to go to church for! to have those 

fellows blessing me out, and telling me how mean I am? 

I already know." 

"Well, if you don't go, I guess baby and I can go 

alone." 

This said, Mrs. G., and baby son plucked up their 

courage and plodded off to the meeting, more than a 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 17 

mile away. Every step of the way was paved with 
prayer, for that anxious wife knew that something must 
be done to get her indifferent husband to the meeting, 
and also get him interested in his soul. While the song 
service was under full swing, and Mrs. G. had a chance 
to look back in the audience, she saw her bewildered 
hubby sitting on the back seat with head down gazing 
out at the window, looking mean, and feeling meaner. 
Then she began to realize that her prayer was answered. 
In the after service, the singer spotted this indifferent 
husband, sat down by him, and soon led him out on the 
subject of his eternal welfare, "Won't you go down to the 
altar with me for the prayer?" "Yes, but I won't stay." 
He did go, and went again, and again, and the third time, 
he got down on his knees and said, "I'll stay here until 
I'm saved, or know the reason why." In less than five 
minutes he was happily saved, and Oh ! what a happy 
woman his little wife was that night, and now they have 
the happiest home in Texas. 

Recently, in passing through his town, I stopped over 
and spent the night with them. — We talked till mid- 
night. He told me how wonderfully happy he was then. 
"Oh," said he, "do you know I can sleep like a baby. 
Before I was converted there were many nights that I 
never closed my eyes for sleep. I was so very wicked 
and sinful and miserable. My wife would often think I 
was sick. I would some times tell her that I was sick, 
when it was only my wicked past life continually coming 
before me. Do you know Brother Phillips, had you not 
come to me and almost forced me to that altar, and 



18 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

prayed with me, I would have to-night been in hell." 
"Oh, no, Sam! you don't mean that." "I do mean that 
for I had delibrately made up my mind that I could not 
live that way much longer, and had planned to commit 
suicide." "Oh, thank God, that you ever came my way. 
To-night is the happiest time of my life, and now I feel 
that I could join you and help to save others, if I could." 
One of the men down at the mill where Sam works 
said the other day, to one of the men, that "old Sam was 
now the best man in the world, and if religion could do 
for him what it had done for Sam, he wanted it too." 
"Why do you think it has made such a change in him?" 
"Why, just the other day we had to clean out the elevator 
shaft, and Sam had to go down into the shaft to remove 
the dust and dirt from the wheat bin, while down there 
a trap door slipped, letting down on Sam's head a great 
load of chaff, dust and bran. Then the boys laughed and 
said, 'Well, old Sam will lose his religion now, and will 
cuss us all out.' But instead, when they opened the door, 
and looked in, Sam came scratching and pawing out, 
spitting dust and blowing chaff from his mouth, and 
singing, 'J esus knows all about our struggles.' Then the 
men turned and said to him, 'Well, old man, I believe 
you've got it, and I want the same kind, if I ever get any. 
Pray for me that I may." 

CLEBURNE, TEXAS, REVIVAL. 

Cleburne, Tex., July 1st, 1907. 
Rev. W. B. Andrews, pastor of the Main St. Methodist 
Church of this City is in midst of perhaps the greatest 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 19 

Revival held here in years. Evangelist Rev. John B. 
Andrews of Siloam Springs, Ark., is doing- the preaching 
and conducting the Revival Campaign and has succeeded 
in arousing Cleburne thoroughly on the question of "Re- 
ligion ;" the Evangelist is attracting large multitudes to 
hear him. At last Sunday night's service there were more 
than three-thousand to hear him and many were un- 
able to get under the "Tabernacle." The services are 
being held in a large tabernacle erected for the purpose, 
having quickly outgrown the seating capacity of the 
Methodist Church where the revival started., More than 
250 conversions have been reported to date and their 
names given for membership in the various churches of 
the city. 

The Evangelist is accompanied by Prof. Edward G. 
Phillips and his wife, also of Siloam Springs, Ark., who 
is director of the music ; a large choir of about 300 voices 
are furnishing the finest music ever heard in the city. 
At many of the services thousands come to the "Twilight 
Song Service" at eight o'clock, which has become more 
popular than any similar services ever held here. 

Prof. Phillips is a leader of song of rare ability, pos- 
sessing a faculty of leadership in developing the musical 
abilities of others to an extent seldom reached by men ; 
besides this he is a fine personal worker, a splendid singer 
and a fine Christian man. His wife is also a very talented 
musician and Christian worker, materially supplement- 
ing the work of both Evangelist Andrews and Prof. 
Phillips in the song services. 

The revival has been in progress for 3 weeks and will 



20 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

go an for an indefinite length of time, yet the interest 
continues at a high pitch at every service. 

Arthur McVeigh. 
Cleburne Daily News. 

PRAYED TWENTY YEARS FOR ONE MAN. 

One day my father sent me to the railroad station 
to get a small bill of lumber to do some repairing about 
the barn. After the lumber was loaded onto the wagon, 
the yard master engaged me in conversation. We had 
been members of the same ball team, but after I was 
converted I quit the team. Our conversation naturally 
drifted out on religion. He and my older brother were 
fast friends, and were quite wicked. Finally I insisted 
that he had better change his life and become a Christian. 
He assured me that he had but little or no interest in 
the matter, as he had given it but little thought. 

We separated that day and didn't meet but one time 
for years, though I told him then that I would pray for 
him until he was converted. I suppose he forgot it and 
didn't think of it again for fifteen years. Then I met 
him and reminded him of the fact. He was then almost 
down and out, and very far from the Kingdom ; I related 
to him the incident of my brother's death and how I 
lead him to Christ, on his death bed. That didn't seem 
to make much impression upon him. I went to a North- 
ern state to hold a meeting a few years later. One day 
I was talking to a doctor about his soul. He switched 
the subject and wanted to talk of other things. He 
asked if I knew Henry L. of Nevada, Texas. I said, "Yes, 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 21 

we belonged to the same ball team for years." He said 
"We were in a shooting scrape one night, out here at a 
dance and when the smoke cleared away, there was one 
man less in the crowd. From then until now I have 
never seen or heard of Henry L." On my return to 
Texas a few years later I was invited to the town to 
hold a meeting in which Henry lived. Soon after strik- 
ing the little Western town I met my old time former 
friend and ball team manager, Henry L. We had a 
pleasant visit and I told him I was out in the world 
hunting real "Diamonds," men who were down and 
out and not suckers and that I had come to that town 
especially to find him for whom I had prayed since we 
separated on the ball grounds twenty years before. He 
grasped my hand and gave me a hearty hand shake and 
said, "I hope that you will land me then." I went to 
the pastor and the evangelist and told them that Henry 
was going to be converted. They smiled and said, "I 
hope so," but showed from their looks that they doubted 
it. He came to the meeting and I went out and put my 
arms around him and told him I had come for him. He 
went to the altar but did not confess. He said if he did 
get religion they would say he did it to catch votes as he 
was a candidate for sheriff. Then he left town and stayed 
away until the last day before election, and came home 
sick. I went down to see him. He met me at the door 
and said, "Come in, I know you think I am a coward, 
but I ain't, I'm sick." He said upon my word I'll come 
to church Sunday, and give myself to God, election or 
no election. He was slightly defeated, at the election 



22 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

next day, but that did not effect him. In fact he said he 
was perfectly satisfied. Bright and early Sunday morn- 
ing he came to Sunday school with his wife — a thing 
he had not done for years. As they came in I punched 
the evangelist and said I'll get my man today. When 
the sermon was ended the preacher stepped off the plat- 
form and was so enthused with the power of God, he 
simply forgot to make his proposition of the unsaved, 
but went to shaking hands with people. I stood and 
sung the cowboy's Roundup. When the last verse was 
sung, I said, "Men there will be a great roundup some 
day and some of you poor fellows are not ready for the 
day. But if you want to get ready, and be at the final 
roundup, come give me your hand." Henry was the first 
man to make the start ; others followed in quick succes- 
sion. To my last day on earth I shall never forget how 
he looked as he came down the aisle, with his arms ex- 
tended above his head and yelling as loud as he could, 
"I'll be at the roundup, Brother Phillips, I'll be there." 
That night with about 100 others he was received into 
the church, and was one of the best workers in the meet- 
ing. I stood with my arm around him while he took 
the vows of the church and I never saw a man who 
seemed to be so happy for the step he took. 

The day the meeting closed and I was leaving the 
town, he with his opponent who was elected as well as 
the sheriff and several other friends and enemies, all 
met on a lot behind an old store and sat down on the 
grass and had on old fashioned love feast, while they 
passed the cigars and smoked and laughed and cried and 
forgave each other. 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 23 

THE REVIVAL MEETINGS THE MOST 

SUCCESSFUL IN THE HISTORY 

OF CLAREMORE. 

The Union Revival Meeting now drawing to a close, 
have been the most successful of any similar effort in the 
history of Claremore. Scores of men and women, of mat- 
ure years, have been led to "think on their ways" and 
decide for a higher and nobler life ; many of whom have 
professed conversion and taken a definite and decided 
stand for Christ. Members of the various churches have 
been greatly helped and strengthened. Little differences 
and misunderstandings have been righted and the 
churches put in good condition for effective work. 

Credit for the success of the meetings is due, first 
to the pastors of the churches who planned and prepared 
for it in the right spirit, aided by the faithful few among 
their members. Their laying aside all appearance of 
selfishness and denominational interests, won the con- 
fidence of the people and opened the way of the grand 
work that has followed. 

In securing evangelists they were fortunate. Rev. 
Lovic P. Law has proven himself a strong, practical 
preacher of righteousness. A consecrated man, who does 
not lean on his own strength or wisdom for results. A 
man who preaches the truth clearly and fearlessly, and 
does not hesitate to condemn sin, either in the church 
or out. But it is all done in the spirit of love and kind- 
ness, and drives conviction home to the hearer. 

Prof. Edward G. Phillips, the singer, is one of the 



24 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

most efficient men in that line we have ever met. Being 
an excellent leader, he is able to put life and enthusiasm 
into his choir and get the best results. His solo work is 
good and proves, not only a pleasing but an effective 
part of the work. Prof. Phillips is not only able in song, 
but is one of the best personal workers it has been our 
privilege to meet. Many in Claremore will gatefully 
remember and acknowledge his interest and helpful in- 
fluence in their behalf. 

About 150 people have been to the altar, as seekers, 
during the meetings ; the majority of whom have pro- 
fessed conversion. Many others have been greatly helped 
and enabled to take a higher stand in life. It has been a 
great day in the history of Claremore to which many 
will gratefully look back in later years. Some of our 
people have neglected, others have refused, this great 
opportunity. The meetings will close in a few days, 
leaving the work unfinished to many of our people. This 
is unfortunate, for such favorable opportunities do not 
come often and many will not see another. But Clare- 
more will be better, truer and stronger for these three 
weeks of Union Revival Meetings. 

THREE FOR ONE. 

His real name was James Fernand Reymond, but 
for short they called him Captain Jim, owing to his posi- 
tion and age, as well as his superior strength and size. 
His occupation was that of a dredge canal boat Captain ; 
operating on one of the government canals on the South- 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 25 

ern coast. His daily duties consisted in keeping "tab" 
on the boat hands and seeing that every man was con- 
stantly at his post. But from the color of his prominent 
frontis-piece at the upper end of his anatomy and the 
sound of the piercing oaths that rolled from his thickened 
tongue, one might easily imagine that he had bartered 
his soul to the devil in assisting the W. C. T. U. of 
America in banishing from its fair land the awful traffic 
of rum, by drinking an enormous amount of it each day, 
thinking that in a short while he could consume the entire 
output. One day as he was just entering one of the 
devil's dens — a saloon — to secure a quantity of liquor to 
take out to his boat for thirst quenching purposes, as his 
system seemed to require, he was met by a young man 
who had visited him the previous day out on his canal 
boat and had talked with him about his soul. For nearly 
an hour he stood before the front door of that hell-hole 
and begged Captain Jim not to go into the place, and 
also not to drink any more, but to give himself to God 
and lead a Christian life. The Captain said to him: "I 
have not been to church for twelve years. I went with 
my wife once after our baby came, and she wanted to 
have it baptised. I got mad, refused to do so and have 
never been back to church since and I don't know that 
I will." The young man replied : "Since you have acted 
the fool so long, would it not be a wise idea and sensible 
too, to come on and attend the meeting and be a Chris- 
tian?" "Oh, I guess not; it will cost me fifty cents 
every time I come in and fifty cents back — that's one 
dollar and I couldn't afford to spend a dollar a day to 



25 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

attend your revival." But he was spending that much 
and more each day for liquor. "Well," said the worker, 
"if you will come to our meeting every night for the 
next five nights, which will be 'till Saturday night, I 
will give you a dollar for each night you come, provided 
you do not miss a night and with the understanding that 
you take the fifth seat the first night, the fourth seat the 
second night and so on 'till you reach the front pew." 
Captain Jim said, "all right I'll go you one; I'll get your 
dollar sure." Then Captain D., head manager for the 
Company, said : "I will add another dollar to your offer, 
young man." Then Captain Q., government gauger, 
said, "Good ! and I'll also add a dollar." By this time 
Captain Jim saw they were in earnest about the matter 
and were about to get him in a tight place, and he 
turned away, saying: "Let me go now; I must step in 
here and get my quart and go to the boat. The boys 
are waiting for me now." The worker said: "No, let 
me leave you first; I do not want to stand here and see 
you make a hog of yourself. If you are going in that 
saloon I will not stand here and see it — good bye." He 
soon disappeared in the pushing crowd along the street. 
The Captain stepped into the saloon; the good Spirit 
must have been closely atttending his footsteps, for 
he walked up to the bartender and said: "I won't take 
out anything today. Just set it back." He was soon 
in the work wagon with his men and on his way out to 
the canal. 

Captain Jim made good his promise and was there 
on the fifth seat the first night and the fourth seat the 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 27 

second night. On the third day one of his boat hands 
drank some wood alcohol and was laid on the cooling 
board for a few weeks and the Captain had to take the 
workman's place on the boat, so he was unavoidably kept 
from attending the meeting on the third night. He was 
interested enough to send word to his newly made friends 
that he could not come that night, but would make good 
his promise and come the following night. So he did. 
Early in the evening he was seen pushing his way down 
toward the front, accompanied by his wife and little 
daughter, also by another Captain, his wife and son. 
All six of them lined up on the second seat. As they 
did so the young worker whispered to the Evangelist 
and said : "We'll land the old mud-cats and all the top 
minnows." They gave close attention to the sermon. 
When ended and invitation to seekers was given the 
Captain stepped out into the aisle followed by the entire 
crowd that had accompanied him to the meeting and all 
came to the altar and knelt down for prayer. While 
kneeling in silence each one was quietly and prayerfully 
instructed and led definitely to accept Christ. They 
arose and shook hands with friends, rejoicing and prais- 
ing the Lord. 

Though he was outwardly rough and indifferent at 
first he had now become very different. He quit his 
swearing and drinking and has been a regular attendant 
at church every since. 

He came into the big tent on Saturday night, followed 
by his family and the family of his friend, Captain 
Murphy. They all sat down together. As they did so, 



28 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

the young man who had been instrumental in leading 
him and his family to Christ, stepped off the platform 
and quietly walked down the aisle and took Captain 
Jim by the hand and gave him a hearty grasp, and as 
he did so left a five dollar bill in his hand. They both 
smiled, but neither spoke. The young man walked back 
and took his seat. The ushers were asked to take the 
incidental offering. As they passed Captain Jim he 
quietly dropped into the plate a five and ten dollar bill, 
and said : "That's for the man who has worked so faith- 
fully to make me a better man." When the worker 
received the message and the mercenary remuneration, 
he said to his co-laborer: "The Lord has paid me three 
for one and in the deal a soul was won. 

A REMARKABLE CONVERSION. 

In our meeting at Decatur last July I was invited into 
a home to visit a few moments one morning, with some 
friends whom I had not seen for several years. The 
lady of the home said, "Bro. Phillips I wanted you to 
talk to my husband, yet I am afraid if you do, he will 
become offended and will not return to your meetings. 
So if you talk to him, be very careful that you do not 
make him mad." I said, "Oh! don't you worry; I'm 
only afraid I wont make him mad." My heart was al- 
ready tied on to the man and with a passion for his soul. 
I went after him with the satisfaction of seeing him 
wonderfully saved. 

He had been a missionary six years in China, but 
had given up his work and had not prayed a prayer for 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 29 

nineteen years, I give here an excerpt from two letters 
received from him since his conversion: 

My Dear Phillips : — I write a line just to say that I 
am still rejoiced on account of the stand I have taken 
in regard to my spiritual life. The nineteen years spent 
away from the cross were unhappy ones. All the time 
I was conscious of an unfilled want, nothing was to be 
found to satisfy the hunger of the soul. I did not expect 
to find it, at the time I separated from church rela- 
tions; I saw plainly at the time that nothing satisfying 
was to be hoped for. But I now feel happy in embrac- 
ing the old hope and am trying to remain close to the 
cross. Wife and I joined the Baptist church here 'Sun- 
day, she being baptised at night. We have family wor- 
ship daily and grace at table. Life begins to promise more 
to me than it has for many years. Have not mapped 
out my course for the future. Am at present studying 
the Bible as much as I can find time to. It has new at- 
tractions for me. I shall always remember you and 
rejoice that you came to Decatur for the general good 
you did and the special blessing . I and mine received. 
You will always have a warm place in my heart for keep- 
ing after me and making me continue to consider the 
subject of the christian life. God bless you and use you 
long for the glory of his name. Remember me to An- 
drews. 

Wish I could be with you at Stephenville a few days, 
at least, but do not see my way clear to leaving my 
business. Yours fraternally, 

N. W. Halcomb. 



30 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUCH 

My Dear Phillips : — Your good letter was duly received 
and much appreciated as to the write-up of my reclama- 
tion that you propose, I can only say that I do not like 
too much publicity, but if you think the write-up will 
serve any good purpose I shall not seriously object to it. 
I do not know that I have any suggestions to make, but 
will give you a few facts in regard to myself that you 
can use or not as you think best: 

My mother was a very religious woman and my 
religious impressions began early. At 12 years of age 
I was a religious boy; worked much in local protracted 
meetings. My attention was early called to the ministry 
and at the age of 17 I entered college, the William 
Jewel College at Liberty, Mo., with the purpose of fit- 
ting myself for the ministry. After graduating there 
I entered Crozes Theological Seminary at Upland, Pa., 
but my health giving way during the first term, I left 
school and spent two years in Colorado, recuperating 
and in business, returning at the end of that time to 
William Jewel College for one year, and completing the 
A. M. course there in 1881. During all my college course 
and at the seminary I had great perplexities in regard 
to the Christian doctrines, beginning with those of pre- 
destination and free will, and going on until I questioned 
the truth of miracles, the inspiration of the scriptures 
and the manifestation of the supernatural. I left school 
about ready to discard my religious beliefs. I arrived 
at a point where I thought I had discarded these beliefs, 
but on returning to college and renewing old associations 
I thought I could not abandon them and my old desire 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 31 

to work for the Master returned. In my former college 
days one of my college mates and I had been instrumental 
in organizing a foreign missionary society in the college. 
He had now finished his college course and was a mis- 
sionary in India, the Rev. W. R. Manley. My atten- 
tion was turned to China. I consulted with prominent 
men in our denomination, particularly with the late Dr. 
Rothwell, there at the head of the college. I was advised 
to enter the active work of the ministry notwithstand- 
ing my perplexities, with the belief expressed that active 
work would relieve my doubts. Accordingly I applied for 
appointment as missionary to China under the Southern 
Baptist Board and received my appointment. Instead 
of decreasing, my perplexities increased until I felt I 
was not sufficiently in harmony with the church, or with 
the mission and surrendered my credentials as an ordain- 
ed minister. I then had charge of the United States con- 
sulate at Chefoo, China, one year. Taught in a government 
school in Japan two years, returned to this country and 
have most of the time been in the newspaper business at 
this place since. I have told you of my unrest; how un- 
satisfactory my life has been. You know of my recent 
laying hold of Jesus as my only hope and my all. I need 
not repeat this. I trust I shall never let go this hope, 
this trust, and shall be able to live in constant com- 
munion with Him. 

The branch must abide in the vine. 

Will close wishing you much success at Stephenville 
and Dallas. Yours in Christ, 



32; DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

P. S. You may be surprised to know that I have 
sold my newspaper and expect to go into the ministry. 
After the renewal of my Christian experience I felt a 
return of the old desire to preach and am closing up my 
business as fast as I can that I may begin it. 

A SOCIETY LADY DREAMED OF THE RAILROAD 
SONG 12 MONTHS BEFORE SHE HEARD IT. 

In the summer of '99 we were holding a big tent meet- 
ing in S., a beautiful little village situated in the mount- 
ains of North Arkansas. The interest of the meeting 
wasjiot very great. In fact the evangelist said that the 
meeting would close in a few days unless the church 
became more active. The following night I arose to 
sing just before the sermon. This night I sang the rail- 
road song. Before singing the song I related some of 
the peculiar incidents to which my attention had been 
called in connection with the song and stated that we 
might look for the same thing to follow it here as it 
had at other places. The sermon which followed, by 
J. B. Andrews, was one of much power, and great con- 
viction was on the people. And not a few found Christ 
precious to their souls, and started on the Christian 
march to heaven. After the service was over a well 
dressed, elegant lady came up to me and asked me to 
go home with her and her husband and she would tell 
me something of the dream she had more than a year 
previous. I walked home with them and we were seated 
on the front porch; it was a warm summer evening. 




rn^-1 « 




Barney Brush, who missed but one trip in 14 years 
(see page 40) 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 33 

And these are her words as near as I can state them. 
She said : "Bro. Phillips, about a year ago I had a 
wonderful dream and it troubled me very much for a 
long time and now I understand it. I dreamed that 
there was a great tent meeting being conducted here 
by two evangelists. A thing that had never been in that 
town, and in my dream I could see the angels from heaven 
ascending and decending, carrying the glad news to 
heaven over the lost sinners that were returning home. 
Among the angels I saw my sainted mother and sister 
who had been dead a number of years, and as the work 
continued all the young people of our town were con- 
verted and best of all, my husband and I were happily 
saved, and were happy in our new found saviour, and 
tonight, said she, when you came forward and sang the 
Railway to heaven, I could scarcely refrain from shout- 
ing aloud ; I had to hold my lips to keep from crying 
aloud. I did not know there was such a song. I did 
not know that there was such a man as yourself. But 
when you came forward and sung the song, I knew every 
word of it as well as if I had been reading it from your 
book or had known the song all my life and, strange 
to say, I saw in the singer and song, that was before 
me that night, the dream that so impressed me twelve 
months before. And I then realized that God was calling 
me to a better life and there I made up my mind to serve 
Him and to go to work for Him." 

The glorious results ! The next morning her husband 
who was not a christian and seldom went to church, 



34 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

closed his business-house and with all his clerks came to 
the meeting — something he was never known to do be- 
fore. When the altar-call was given, I shall never forget 
how this woman dressed in her silks and satins, came 
rushing down the aisle and knelt at the altar and gave 
herself to God. She arose and went direct to the back 
part of the tent, took her husband by the arm and led 
him to the altar. There they both kneeled down and 
prayed and in a moment were up on their feet praising 
God and shaking hands with their friends. They both 
went to work, and when the meeting closed every young 
man and lady, save one or two, were converted and 
joined the church,, and this worldly man and wife led 
most of them to Christ. She dreamed that all the friends 
were saved, and so they were, and she had been the in- 
strument in the hands of God who led many of them to 
the Savior. And as I think of that meeting today, I 
remember it as one of the most powerful meetings I 
ever saw, and shall always praise God for using that 
dream and worldly woman and a little song to save many 
precious souls. 

The following is a letter from the lady of whom this 
incident was related : 
Mr. Ed. G. Phillips, 

Kind Friend: — i\bout a year before you and Bro. 
Andrews held a tent-meeting in our town, I dreamed we 
had a big "tent-meeting," the biggest revival we ever 
had here; I thought everybody was happy, among them 
ourselves. 

I thought a tall young man stood up and sang, "Life's 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 35 

Railway to Heaven," and back of him I could see the 
Angels ascending and descending from Heaven, and I 
thought of an aunt of mine, that had been dead for some 
time, came to me and put her arms around me and said, 
"God bless you, Annie." 

The next morning I told my husband about the 
dream, he remarked "that's one dream I am afraid will 
never come true; I don't think we will ever have a tent 
meeting in Salem, its too far from the railroad." 

So I forgot all about the dream until the night before 
we were converted. 

When you got up and sang the song it flashed back 
to my mind in a moment the words and everything just 
like I had seen them in the dream. 

I had never heard the song before, only in the dream. 

We were" so happy that night; in fancy I could al- 
most see the choir invisible. 

It's a strange coincidence in meeting you at Harrison, 
one of the first things you said, was, "it's the lady that 
had the dream." I had told you about it eight years ago. 
I didn't know you were in Harrison holding a meeting 
until my sister told me you were there. It was quite a 
pleasure to hear you and Bro. Andrews again. 
Very respectfully, 

Mrs. W. M. Castleberry. 

CONDUCTOR ED. PHILLIPS SAVED BY A SONG. 

While conducting a service of Gospel tent meetings in 
the town of Commerce, Texas, with L. A. Pruitt of Ten- 
nessee, this peculiar incident happened. The meeting 



36' DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

was being held down near the railroad track close by the 
depot, in order to catch the multitude of boys, who would 
come to idle away their leisure hours around the station. 
The interest of the meeting was good. Many were- be- 
ing saved. Among them were some of the leading R. R. 
men. 

One night after the meeting had been running nearly 
two hours, and we were about ready to close, fifteen had 
made a profession. We were singing with great power, 
"Saviour wash me in the blood," and Mr. Pruitt was down 
on his knees at the altar, with a struggling sinner, try- 
ing to lead him into the light. At last I motioned to 
the organist and choir to hold. Everything was deathly 
still, Mr. Pruitt turned to the leader and said, "What 
are you waiting for?" "Will you please to sing." The 
leader replied, that he was going to sing a solo, and with 
that he began to sing that remarkable song, which has 
been blest to the salvation of more railroad men than 
any song of the twentieth century. 

The singer had not sung the second stanza, when all 
at once a shout arose from the big man, with broad 
shoulders who was kneeling at the front seat. And he 
arose and was shaking, hands with his many friends, 
who rushed around him, to bid him God's speed on his 
way to Heaven. 

The entire audience as much as possible came to 
welcome him in his newly found Savior. The singer 
stopped and asked who this man was, and why this 
commotion. The pastor said he was one of the toughest 
men in the city. Was a conductor and had also been 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 37 

marshal of the city, and was a very popular man at one 
time. But drink had caused him to lose his position as 
City Marshal, and this was his only work now-railroad- 
ing. 

Well he was wonderfully saved. He quit the saloon 
gang, joined the church, and as long as I kept in touch 
with him, he was a faithful Christian. He told me a 
short while after his conversion, just after he had re- 
ceived his monthly salary from the R. R. that that was 
the first time he had enough money to pay his grocery 
bills, house rent and other necessary expenses that go to 
run a house. That he paid all these, and had money 
enough left to buy the wife and two bright sweet little 
girls new dresses, and send them to church and Sunday 
school. 

Several months after his conversion, I met one of 
his brakies at Greenville Texas, and asked how old Phil- 
lip was holding on. "Oh, he said, "he is the truest man 
I ever saw. There has not been but one pint of whiskey 
on his train, since he was converted; and that was car- 
ried by a sick man, and kept a secret from the conductor." 
He said "I passed *his train the other day, and Phillip was 
up in the caboose reading his Bible, as my train passed 
by. I heard him singing, "I will meet you in the City 
of the New Jerusalem." 

As my train rolled down the grade and over the river, 
I repeated to myself in answer, "Yes, I'll meet you in 
the City of the New Jerusalem." 

—"Good-bye." 



38' DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 



A GREAT REVIVAL. 

A meeting of unprecedented magnitude in these parts 
was recently held in Greenville, Tex., conducted by Rev. 
J. B. Andrews, of Siloam Springs, Ark., with the co- 
operation of the pastors of the city. Rev. Ed. Phillips, 
of Siloam Springs, directed the singing. Rev. C. Pug- 
sley, pastor of Kavanaugh Church, Greenville, had en- 
gaged the evangelist some months in advance, and had 
his Church well prepared for his coming. He could have 
said in their behalf to the evangelist, as did Cornelius 
upon the arrival of Peter from Joppa : "We are all here 
present before God to hear all things that are com- 
manded thee of God." 

The Church was eager for the message and ready to 
co-operate with the leader in the promotion of the revival. 
The meeting had taken on such proportions at the end 
of two weeks that the auditorium of Kavanaugh Church 
was entirely inadequate to the demands of the occasion, 
and hundreds were being turned away from the services. 

A tabernacle with a seating capacity of twenty-five 
hundred was erected near the center of the city, and all 
the pastors of the city were invited to co-operate in the 
meeting. The revival assumed still greater proportions, 
and all the available space in the tabernacle was taken 
and hundreds stood around on the outside. The peni- 
tents were all invited to kneel at the altar; and possibly 
one hundred might have been seen kneeling at once at 
the altar on certain occasions, and sixty or seventy were 
converted at a single service. The work seemed to be 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 39 

genuine, with no claptrap methods. The preaching was 
plain, earnest, practical, and straight forward, dealing 
largely in incidents pathetic and persuasive rather than 
expository. The penitents, in the main, were deeply 
concerned, and the conversions correspondingly clear and 
satisfactory. The singing was of the most inspiring 
character, there being a choir of more than 300 hundred 
well trained voices, with a variety of musical instruments. 
Professor Phillips was master of the situation, besides 
being a most efficient altar worker and doing much 
private work on the streets and in the homes. Nearly 
three hundred persons have been added to the three 
Methodist Churches of the city, and about half that num- 
bur to other Churches. Adult persons were the prin- 
cipal subjects of conversion. Not a few children attended 
the services and were greatly interested and materially 
benefited, as reported by the teachers of the public 
schools, who suspended school an hour a day for sev- 
eral morning services and encouraged the pupils to attend 
services that did not conflict with school duties. 

From the best account taken, not less than seven or 
eight hundred persons were converted or reclaimed, and 
possibly twice as many were in some way materially 
benefited by the meeting. 

The results abide, as shown not only in the number 
of accessions to the Churches, but in increased attend- 
ance upon public worship, prayer meetings, Sunday 
schools, and Epworth Leagues. Two and three hundred 
people may be seen at prayer meetings, and the Sunday 
schools fill the churches. It was, in its proportions, 



40 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

perhaps the greatest revival I ever witnessed. The 
evangelist and singer did their work well. The meet- 
ing was wisely and skillfully conducted on orthodox 
lines, and with pastors and people in hearty sympathy 
and co-operation. The result was a great meeting, and 
great good accomplished. 

CONVERSION OF ENGINEER BARNEY BRUSH. 

In the fall of 1900 we were invited to a county seat 
town in Southwest Mo., to hold a union tent meeting. 
The town was noted for its absolute indifference, both 
in religious and political affairs. One of the pastors had 
told us before arriving that it would be impossible to 
stir up any interest among the people. I told him God 
would stir them up, if we would do our duty. And that 
I expected to see some of the indifferent of the town 
walking through the streets shouting and praising the 
Lord, and this we saw before the meeting closed. One 
night while I was leading the choir, and people were 
coming to the altar and getting saved, I was suddenly 
impressed to leave the choir and step down the aisle, 
and into the audience. Following the leading of the 
Spirit I did so. I did not go but a few steps, then stop- 
ped; as if by command I turned to my left and saw a 
broad shouldered rail-road man standing there. He 
had just refused the entreaties of the pastor to go for- 
ward and accept Christ. This I did not know ; I laid my 
hand upon his shoulder and said: "old fellow, you must 
go forward with me and give yourself to Christ; you 
have promised Him you would a thousand times and 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 41 

have as many times gone back upon your promise." He 
looked at me a moment, never said a word, but deliber- 
ately stepped out and down to the altar we went. We 
bowed at the altar for a moment. I explained the plan 
of salvation to him, step by step. After telling him 
deliberately what he must do, confess his sins, turn away 
from sin, believe in Christ and trust him right then, I 
had not more than finished the quotation, when he arose 
and said, "I have confessed; I do believe, and he does 
save me now." We shook hands. His wife came, and 
such a shouting time as we had that night, makes me 
thank God till this day that I ever spoke to him. I give 
you his experience here just as he gave it to me the next 
day, and as he has given it to two other evangelists since. 
Four years after that night I passed his train in South- 
ern Mo., one day, and he said as my train moved by his 
engine, (he was still on the same engine), "Hello Bro. 
Phillips, I still have my hand on the throttle and my 
eye on the rail." I said "amen, just hold on old boy and 
she will land you the grand Central Station by and by. 
He said : "When I was a boy I felt impressed to be a 
Christian and thought I would, but would wait until I 
became a man and then settle the matters as to my soul's 
salvation. Not long after that I took very sick one day 
and grew worse all the while; finally they decided I 
could not recover and told me so. I promised God that 
if he would let me get well I would be a Christian and, 
to the surprise of every one, I began to improve at once. 
When fully well, I was reminded by the Holy Spirit 
of the promise I had made. But, as is often done by 



42 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 



many, soon forgot my vow, and went on in the same old 
way. Reached manhood and had grown in sin as the 
years went by, was once more called to my vows by an 
awful spell of pneumonia. Prayed again and again ; the 
Lord in his mercy healed me. I fully believed I would 
cease from my evil ways and come to God, tho, as before, 
I went into sins of all kinds, and lost all impressions to 
do good. For years I led a reckless life and spent all my 
hard earned money for balls and shows, women and 
wine, went from bad to worse, until God laid his hand 
upon me again for the third time. This time I was soon 
unconscious and lay for days between time and eternity 
on the brittle thread of life, not knowing how soon I 
should be called away. After I had been ill for three 
weeks a missionary called to see me one afternoon on 
her way to a prayer meeting. I was so weak I could 
not talk to anyone; I could only listen to her kind and 
comforting words and passages she read from the Bible. 
As she left the room I was so impressed to ask her to 
have the people at the prayer meeting pray for me that 
I might recover and be a Christian, I could not call her 
as she was leaving. But as she started out at the door 
she looked back to see if I was comfortably arranged 
on my bed. I motioned her to come back. I could only 
raise one hand the least bit ; she returned to my bedside 
and asked me in a gentle whisper what I wanted. I told 
her to ask God's people to pray for me, that I might 
regain my health, and if God would let me get well I 
would be a Christian. She left my room assuring me 
that they would try, and pray for me. I was restored, 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 43 

was soon able to be out on my engine and on full duty. 
I was then running on the Frisco from Monett, Mo., to 
Ft. Smith, Ark. 

At the completion of the Crescent hotel at Eureka 
Springs, Ark., there was a grand opening ball given in 
honor of the Frisco people. I, among many other em- 
ployees, went down to attend the swell affair. At the 
close I was more than one hundred dollars short. Two 
or three days spent in reveling and dissipation I was 
not able to return to my post of duty for several days 
and when I did I was met with the reply that my place 
was filled, and I would not be needed any longer. 

I returned to my room down hearted and sad, only 
to weep over my sins and a misspent life so far. I was 
not long in finding a position with a telephone company, 
setting poles and stringing the wires. As I labored, I 
thought on my wayward life, but did not have the man- 
hood to surrender. One bright morning the men were 
hurrying to be off to their work. I was shoveling coal into 
the bin for the day. The day was bright and sunny. But 
all at once there seemed to be a cloud of inky darkness 
surround me, and I was completely wrapped in this dark- 
ness. There came to me an awful impression that I 
should not go out to work that day. That some dread 
calamity was coming to me; I was foreman of the gang; 
the contractor came to me and said: T want you to 
rush the men today and complete the line to the cross 
road." But I said to him, T am not feeling exactly well 
this morning and shall have to ask you to excuse me 
from duty today and send another man in my stead.' He 



44, DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

insisted that I should go, as there was no one who could 
fill my place. I finally said, Well, I go," but my seeming 
presentiment grew upon me until I felt sure I could not 
go and told him so the second and third time. He finally 
said I was a coward and was not acting the man. Then 
I said I will go, and do my duty, if I die in the act.' I 
was soon on the road out. After a short drive we 
reached the place where we were to begin to string the 
wires; the poles were all ready for the wires. I put on 
my climbers, gathered my tools, swung them on my 
belt and started up a pole; when I reached the top I 
drew my hammer from my belt, struck the crossbeam 
one lick, my hold slipped, and I fell to the hard beaten 
road twenty-three feet below. I was unconscious for 
several hours, my right hip was crushed and I was other- 
wise badly hurt. The doctor said I might recover with 
careful attention. For days and weeks I lay flat on my 
back not able to turn in my bed. When I had regained 
my health and was able to be on foot again one of my 
limbs was almost two inches shorter than the other and 
I have remained a cripple to this day. God touched my 
hip joint, and sent me out to limp through life. And 
never again to enter a ball room. Seems that God had 
to break my hip to break me from dancing/ 

But now Bro. Phillips I am praising Him for saving 
my soul, and letting me see this happy day. 

I have seen this man two or three times each year 
since his conversion and have found him still praising 
God for the night I walked down the aisle and said, "Come 
on, old fellow, and let's make your promise good." Some 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 45 

day I expect to shake hands with him on the other side 
of the river. 

HE SAID HE WOULD QUIT WHEN HE 
BECAME RICH. 

The Railroad song was sung one night during the 
great tent meeting at Pine BlufT held by Jno. B. An- 
drews and myself. After the meeting some friends 
went to the restaurant and were talking of the song and 
some of the incidents which were told. A man who was 
along with the crowd was then a conductor on a line that 
ran into Little Rock. His sister and the friends urged 
him to give himself to the Lord and quit the railroad 
business and come back home and stay with the family. 
He laughingly said he would quit some day when he be- 
came rich. Poor fellow, he did quit, and that too before 
he got rich or religious either. His train was just leav- 
ing the station when he reached for the steps but fell 
short and his body was thrown beneath the moving train 
and crushed into a mass of blood and bones. They sent 
up to the city where Evangelist Andrews was holding a 
meeting to have him come and conduct the funeral serv- 
ices. The best that he could do was to give a warning 
to those who refused to turn from sin and point the be- 
reaved loved ones to Jesus who is our help in time of 
trouble. 

SO GLAD HE WAS READY TO GO. 

When John E. Brown and I were holding our first 
tent meeting at Monett, Mo., I went out to speak to a 



46 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

man about his soul. He seemed a little careless and 
refused to go forward for prayer. I insisted that he settle 
the question then and give himself to God. He was a 
mail clerk on the Frisco R. R. He told me he would 
think over the matter and that he appreciated what I had 
said to him but he soon left the town and made his run 
on the mail express to Paris, Texas. On his return home 
he came back to the meeting again and sat quite near 
the front. When the call for seekers was made he delib- 
erately came forward and confessed Christ and gave his 
name for church membership. The few days he was 
permitted to live he was an active worker. About four 
days after his conversion he went home and had a chat 
with his little wife and the babies, then bade them good- 
bye and started for his next run. When he approached 
the depot he stepped on the track and was walking 
rapidly down the road; the wind was blowing furiously 
and the rattle of the many trains prevented him from 
hearing a backing train coming down on him and be- 
fore he could step off the track the train struck him, 
mangling his body beyond recognition. He was picked 
up and tenderly carried home to his wife and children 
where he was loved and cared for by his many friends. 
When his little wife took the last farewell look at his 
pale, cold face she looked up and smiled as she said, 
"Oh brother Rader, I am so glad he was ready, to go. 
How glad I am that he gave his heart to God in the tent 
meeting." 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 47 



"A PHOTO MOTHER LEFT ME LONG AGO." 

Long before Oklahoma was opened for settlers, 
the red man roamed over the trackless plains, and fertile 
valleys. The white man seldom had occasion to visit 
or travel over this unsettled country, save now and then 
a party of Eastern sports or over-worked business men 
would go for a buffalo hunt, deer or antelope chase, and 
not infrequently a round with a grizzly. Settlements 
were few and far between, and travelers were seldom 
seen, only those who would take a short cut across the 
Oklahoma country to Texas, as railroads were entirely 
unknown in Oklahoma and Texas too, save in the ex- 
treme Eastern portion of the state. 

One cold November day a party of Kansas emigrants 
started for Western Texas. When they reached Central 
Oklahoma the cold and storm were so severe they were 
unable to proceed on their journey. So they struck camp 
on one of those cheerless blank looking streams, with 
here and there a few scattering sage bushes, and occa- 
sionally a lone cottonwood tree, miles away from the 
nearest settlement, and in a strange land, with but little 
to eat and less with which to give comfort to his suffer- 
ing companion, who had suddenly become ill and death 
seemed inevitable. 

All the long weary hours of the night, the husband 
watched by her bedside, as she lay on a rudely con- 
structed bed made of wild grass and reeds such as he 
could gather by the wayside. The hours hung heavily 
over his aching head, as he sat beside the patient sufferer; 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 



he breathed a prayer to the Great Father to protect and 
help the dying mother and preserve and keep the pre- 
cious little stranger that had so recently arrived in that 
uncomfortable place, with such uncongenial surroundings, 
met by the hissing sounds of the midnight winds and 
soon to be cast upon the unfriendly charities of a cold and 
heartless world. For as the first rays of the morning 
sun had dawned upon the Eastern horizon the patient 
suffering mother took one long farewell look at her 
infant babe, tenderly placed a little locket around its 
neck, folded her weary hands across her fainting bosom 
and quietly passed to the land of perpetual sunshine, 
where storm and hardships never come. 

With his own care worn, yet loving hands; he digged 
a grave, wrapped a shroud of blankets, and the best com- 
fort from the old home, about the frail and faded form 
and laid the idol of his heart beneath the shifting sands 
of the red hills of Western Oklahoma ; made a little 
mound of earth, to mark the last resting place of his com- 
panion, stuck a sand slab at the head of the grave and 
turned his face toward the South Land, where his heart 
longed so much to be. 

The motherless infant was snugly wrapped and ten- 
derly placed in the warmest corner of the prairie schooner 
and as the heart-broken father was preparing to start 
on his journey, he was met by a friendly band of roving 
Indians. They saw the newly made grave and by their 
sad faces and broken English they soon convinced the 
traveler that they were his friends and would help him 
in his troubles. Then he led them to the wagon and 



Mr. Phillips and his friend Thos. Stevens, 
studying "Diamond Digging." 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 49 

carefully unfolded the blankets and pointed to the little 
one that was left motherless and alone, with only this 
bereaved and broken hearted frontiersman to be both 
mother and father to their ill fated infant. They caressed 
and petted it in their half-civilized hearts, which was 
clearly seen by their tear-stained brown faces, as they 
turned away, yet seemed almost charmed and held fast 
to the place by some unseen power. 

Finally a motherly old woman fell down upon her 
knees and threw her arms around the bundle, which 
contained the precious infant, and placing her hands 
upon the father's feet, begged him to give to her care 
and training the child, and she would see that it had 
the best the land possessed. She was one of the better 
class and more civilized of her tribe, therefore, after 
promising that she would take good care of the child 
and educate it in the national schools, the father took 
one glance at the sleeping child, imprinted a parting 
kiss upon its pink cheek and turned his only daughter 
over to the strange old Indian. 

He hitched his team to the prairie schooner and was 
soon out of sight, in the dim blue haze of the Oklahoma 
sand hills. After many weary days of travel he finally 
reached his destination, settled down to active ranch 
life in the Western country. He often thought of his 
past experience on the Oklahoma plains and wondered 
about the future of his child, but never heard one word 
of her, from the sad moment when he turned her over 
to those wandering Cherokees. 

Years rolled by; he left his ranch and went into the 



50 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

general merchandise business. In the meantime Ok- 
lahoma was opened for white settlers, the people rushed 
in from all points of the globe to secure homes and land. 
Schools were opened for all whites and blacks, for awhile 
together. This old Indian woman was given charge of 
one of the national boarding schools, then kept up by 
the government. Into this school she placed her "little 
white face" as the child was called. There she was kept 
until she reached womanhood, and had completed her 
education. Then she was sent East to finish her music 
and to take a more thorough course in English. She 
had promised her Indian mother that she would return 
to her tribe and help educate the people who had done 
so much for her. 

It was nearing commencement, the program for the 
closing exercise was being arranged, the little white face 
Indian was selected to sing a song on the closing night 
of commencement, one of her own composition for she 
had gained some notice as a singer and composer. A 
western merchant had gone East to lay in his stock of 
winter goods, consisting of robes, overcoats and blankets, 
for his frontier customers. 

After going through the wholesale district and com- 
pleting his purchase one of the clerks tapped him on the 
shoulders and said, "By the way, you are from the new 
country in the west I believe; better go down to St. 
Mary's with me tonight and attend commencement. 
There is a little native from your country, who will 
sing tonight, and they say, she is the musical star of 
Old St. Mary this season and the rage of the city. You 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 51 

will be interested in her perhaps, as she is from your 
wild west. She is a white orphan who was reared among 
the Indians, and sent here three years ago to finish her 
music." 

"Did you say she was an orphan?" His mind was 
turned to his early days in the west, and the parting of 
his wife and babe, on that cold November morning many 
years ago. When the hour came for the entertainment, 
Mr. Coleman, our rancher merchant, was comfortably 
seated in a nearby box-party as guest of the wholesale 
merchant, Mr. Litson. 

The attendance at this, the closing night of com- 
mencement, was unusually large, the enthusiasm ran 
high, everybody seemed happy and cheerful. The music 
was inspiring and grand. When the announcement was 
made, "Solo" A' Locket Mother Left Me Long Ago," 
Miss Chelsea Coleman Sequahyah, every eye was flashed 
upon her as she gracefully stepped before the admiring 
multitude; she stood before the vast audience, fair of 
face and^ robust form, indicative of her out door life. 
When she glanced over the audience there was a sweet 
smile beaming from her face. As she sang the first few 
notes every eye and ear was strained to catch a more 
vivid picture of her graceful form, and hear more plainly 
the sweet notes as they rang through the magnificent 
hall. When she sang the last strain of the beautiful 
song, "Just a Photo From a Locket Mother Left me 
Long Ago" there was scarcely a tearless eye in the 
great concourse of people, as they sat silently and sadly 
thinking of the days gone by. 



52 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

At the close of the evening's entertainment Mr. Cole- 
man had made his way down to the front, and pushed 
through the surging crowd and up to where Chelsea 
stood, gracefully receiving the congratulations of her ad- 
mirers. 

Her own father stood before her tall and straight, 
square shouldered and elegant in stature, neatly groomed 
in a dark business suit. His face covered with a closely 
clipped iron grey beard and tears trickling down his 
cheeks, knowing that his only daughter was as unconsci- 
ous of the fact that her father stood before her as she 
was of the increasing anxiety that possessed his throb- 
bing heart. He stepped up to her and held out his hand 
and said, "Chelsea Coleman, my darling daughter, do 
you not see in this face the likeness of your father's 
photograph??" She gazed a moment at the friendly 
stranger's face and smiled, as a tear stole down her 
ruddy cheek; she stepped back and drew from beneath 
her moccasin belt a small locket and quickly opened it 
saying as she did so, "I have this photo in my locket, 
and the story it may tell. It was given me by my aged 
mother and I love it oh, so very much." 

To his glad surprise as he looked upon the faces in 
the little silver locket he beheld his own likeness, with 
that of his young bride, which was taken many years 
before, when they had promised to join heart and hand 
and march through life together. Beneath the photo in 
small letters was this inscription, "From Henry C. to 
Chelsea M." He held out his arms and said, "That is 
your own mother's photograph, and your father stands 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 53 

before you now." She was as conscious of this, as he, 
for she fell into his great loving arms, and covered his 
bearded, tear stained face with kisses, dropped her grace- 
ful head upon his manly shoulder and there wept out 
the eventful tragedy of her graduation day, forgetful 
of the honors she had won by her song — "Just a Photo 
Mother Left Me Long Ago." 

CALLED THROUGH HIS DREAM 

AND SAVED BY THE SINGING OF THE SONG, 

"LOOKING THIS WAY." 

No doubt there are many people in and out of the 
church who do not believe in dreams and many will 
say it's an hallucination, excitement or something of 
the kind. Be that as it may, we have the Bible on our 
side, and can't be wrong. For in Acts 2:17 we have 
this: "You young men shall see visions and you old 
men shall dream dreams." So I give this incident just 
as it happened in a Northern city in November, 1900. 
There was a great union meeting being conducted by 
Evangelist Brown of Iowa and myself. The revival 
was held in the Methodist church and was attracting 
wide spread interest, so much so that an opera troup 
came to the place, but had to leave because they 
could not get a crowd. One cold morning the pastor 
was walking to the post-office to hear the following 
peculiar story. The man first said. "Do you believe 
in dreams?" The pastor replied that he was not quite 
sure that he did/ but said, 'sometimes the Lord has to 
warn us in our dreams to save us." The gentleman said, 



54 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

"well I did not believe in God, the Bible, religion nor 
anything else that you Methodists believe, until last night, 
but I do now. My wife is an infidel and so am I, the 
best I know how to be and have been all my life. Tho 
I have changed now. We lost our child, a sweet little 
baby girl about a year ago. It almost broke our hearts 
when she went away and we never expected to see her 
again. Last night she came to me in my dreams and 
laid her hand upon my head and as she did so, smiled 
as none but an angel could, pointing upward and out- 
ward, she beckoned me to follow. It seemed to me that 
this was heaven enough, to be with my child. She 
started away beckoning to me to come with her, and 
away we sailed through the heavenly afmosphere on 
and on. Finally we came to a great dark stream, which 
was frightful and dreadful. I could hear the awful noise 
and see the terrible waves as they went rolling down, 
bearing upon their bosom the wrecked forms of many 
human souls. This was the river of death. The angelic 
form of my precious child glided out over the dark 
stream with ease and rapidity and called me to follow 
on. But when I reached its turbulent waters I could 
go no further. The form of my child crossed over and 
out of my sight. But in awful agony I realized I could 
not follow. She smiled again and calling "papa, won't 
you come," then vanished forever out of my sight. And 
Oh, say Mr. Robinson wont you tell me what to do." 
"Yes, come to the revival, and give your heart to God, 
and get ready to meet your darling child." There the 
conversation ended. The pastor came home and told 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 55 

me the preceding story as nearly this way as I can tell 
it. I said alright I will sing a song for him tonight. He 
had not been inside of a church for years. He came that 
night and I sang for him a solo, "Looking This Way." 
As I sang next to the last stanza I changed the wording 
of the song from "anxiously looking, mother, for you" 
to 'anxiously looking father for you ;" as I said the words 
I noticed that the man was hit. He turned as pale as 
death, and dropped his head upon the pew in front of 
him and remained sitting that way through most of the 
sermon. When the call was made he was the first man 
who came forward. He kneeled at the altar. I dropped 
on my knees beside him and gave him God's word and 
his promise to the penitent sinner. In a very few 
moments he arose and took me by the hand and with a 
heavenly smile upon his face said, "Its all right, He 
has saved me and I know it, I know it," and began 
shaking hands with his friends and telling them how 
happy he was. 

The next morning I met him on the street. He stop- 
ped me and gave me this whole story himself. And 
asked me why I sang that song the night before. I 
said "I sang the song for your benefit. It's my business 
to save men, and the Lord impressed me to sing that 
song for you." He grasped my hand and said, "well, 
God bless you in singing it, and I in hearing it." And 
now he says, "Wont you pray for my wife ; she is not a 
Christian and has never been, and so far I have not been 
able to get her out to your meeting. To make the story 
brief, she did come and was happily converted that 



56 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

night and she, with her husband, joined the church and 
went to work for the Lord. 

BROTHER GROUTCHER/ 

This would lead you to imagine that there was some- 
thing peculiar about the character of whom I now tell 
you. 

Only a short while ago we were conducting a revival 
in Western Texas, the meeting was held under a large 
tabernacle. The people came from the hills, prairies, 
valleys, mountains and everywhere else, I judged, from 
their looks and styles of their dress, especially of their 
brother, that we call Groutcher, tho this was not his 
name at all, but one he had acquired by his unpleasant 
and fractious disposition. If you met him on the street 
and spoke to him, he was as apt to curse you as he was 
to speak. 

He had a large family, consisting of one poor little 
shriveled, dried up and wrinkled faced wife, and about 
seven children. All at once he became very much in- 
terested in the meeting; the young people of the Ep- 
worth League rustled around and gathered up all the 
old cast-off clothes in their part of the city, and carried 
them down to the family, and presented the collection 
of last year's fit and misfit wearing apparel. A hat for 
the squinty little wife that looked as if it had served 
its time when Texas was under dominion of Mexico, a 
dress that was once worn by a cultured lady of some 
two hundred pounds. When put upon this ratty look- 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 57 

ing little woman, there was room for the entire family in 
this one garment. 

The generosity of the big hearted Leaguers went far 
beyond that and secured about as inappropriate and well 
fitting garments for each member of the family. The 
father was, he supposed dressed up to date, with a thin 
pair of bright blue trousers, that lacked two inches mak- 
ing connection with his low quartered shoes, his hose 
were down, his shanks were shining, a straw hat of 
questionable age, a muslin shirt and no coat made up 
his queer looking costume. The children well, in the 
language of Luke 12 :27, "Solomon in all his glory was 
not arrayed like unto one of these." 

That they had never been to church before, was 
evident from their conduct. When the baby cried as 
long as the mother could stand it, she would gather up 
bag and baggage and move out, followed by six or seven 
children from one to fourteen years of age. In a few 
moments the procession would come filing in and take 
the front seat, which they had vacated. They always 
started before sundown, in order to secure the front 
seats. 

They were aware that the people called them Grout- 
cher and were very sensitive about it. One night the 
singer's wife full of enthusiasm and a desire to be friendly 
with those whom others seemed to neglect, rushed up 
to them as they were lined up on the front row, warmly 
and srnilingly shook hands with the entire crowd, be- 
ginning at the father and going down the line to the 
youngest child and to the astonishment of herself and 



58 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

her husband, she made the awful mistake of calling the 
head of house, Brother Groutcher; she noticed that he 
took her kindness rather coolly and could not understand 
the reason until her husband and Judge Thompson, with 
whom they were entertained, explained that their name 
was Stephens and that Groutcher was nick name. 

The old man came to the altar one night and was 
wonderfully converted ; a few nights later the wife was 
converted and all of the children that were large enough. 
All united with the church and are today faithful mem- 
bers. When the end came to the meeting and good-byes 
were being said, the old man went up to the singer and 
put his arm around him and cried and hugged him good 
and told him he would sure meet him in heaven some 
day. 

A letter from Mrs. Judge Thompson six months later 
told us that the Groutchers had never missed a service 
since the revival closed, attend Sunday School, preaching, 
Leagues, Wednesday night prayer meeting and once or 
twice the entire family lined up at the stewards meeting, 
having heard the pastor make the announcement, they 
supposed they should go, and go they did, and stayed 
thru the entire proceedings. 

"MAMA, PAPA DON'T CURSE ANY MORE." 

There lived a R. R. man in Des Moines, Iowa, who 
was known by all his associates as the most wicked and 
profane swearer of any fellow on the line. He seemed 
to take a perfect delight in letting the world know that 
he had no regard for himself, his family, his God or the 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 59 

mother who gave him birth. His swearing was not all. 
He would deliberately walk out of his own door, leav- 
ing his wife and babies eying after him, board the street 
car with a strange woman and go down into the city 
and stay for two or three days at a time, afterward return- 
ing home drunk. Some of his railroad friends passed 
by one Sunday afternoon going down to a men's meet- 
ing at the Methodist Church. One of the boys said, 
"come on Billie, lets go down to the meeting and take 
our part of the medicine; it will do us good." "No I 
won't; go to the devil with your men's meeting, I won't 
go any place where I can't take my wife with me." 
"You won't eh? you didn't have your wife with you last 
night down at Joe's place, but I noticed you had some 
other man's wife." By this time the crowd turned the 
corner and was soon out of sight, also what they said 
to Billie was as soon out of their minds. But it sent a 
dart to the heart of that unfaithful father and husband 
that was forgotten by him. He stepped into the front 
room, picked up his hat and said to his wife, "I'll be 
back after a while ; I am going to walk down to the shops 
and see if my train goes out tonight." He didn't go to 
the shop; he only made that a pretense to mislead 
his wife, who had agreed with the evangelist to pray 
for him, that he might be saved in that service. He 
went down the back street and started across the corner 
lot toward the round house. Just as he was nearing 
the crossing his attention was called to some very en- 
thusiastic singing. He stopped, listened, then turned 
his footsteps toward the old church. 



60 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

He had only gone a few steps when the singing 
ceased. "There now, I'll be too late for the song service, 
so I'll just go on my way to the shop." While he was 
standing there pondering in his throbbing heart which 
way to go, the tones of some sweet voiced gospel singer 
greeted his sin-polluted ears. He had not heard any- 
thing like that for years. He listened again, then he 
heard the clear tones of the singer's voice as he sang out 
on that familiar^old song, "Can a boy forget his 
mother's prayer, when he has wandered God knows 
where." He stood stone still for a moment, then repeated 
the words of the song. "Can a boy forget his mother's 
prayer." "No, no," he said to himself, as he hurried on 
to the church. 

Imagine, if you can, the surprise of his friends who 
had asked him to accompany them to church ; however, 
they were delighted to see him stumble into the church 
at the late hour, even if the sermon was nearing the 
end. The evangelist was discussing the last point 
in his sermon, which was swearing; he spoke firmly 
and pointed against the awful sin of profanity. Our 
late arrival was quite sure his friends had informed the 
preacher of his habits, so he decided he would take them 
to task when he got out. Every word the speaker said 
fell like a hammer upon his hardened heart. Then he 
began to realize what a sinner he was. The sermon 
finished, the call was extend for seekers, many came 
and the rejoicing and shouting was a visible result of 
the manifested power upon the people ; many a besotted, 
swearing husband returned to his little rented cottage 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 61 

that afternoon to take his precious wife in his arms 
and tell her that God had sent her husband home saved 
from swearing, and a sober man. Tho our friend Billie 
did not go home for an hour, he was under such conviction 
he refused to leave the house; the singer who sang the 
song that touched his heart, staid with him and assisted 
him to work out his salvation by faith in Jesus Christ. 
Finally, about sundown the new light sprang into his 
darkened soul and he could then sing in realty "There is 
sunlight in my soul today." 

He arrived at the home just as his wife had called 
to supper. The young man accompanied him home and 
spent sometime with him talking, singing and praying. 

A few hours after he had taken his departure the 
eldest little girl of the home slipped up to her mother 
and said, "Mama, papa hasn't cursed us any more since 
that good man came home with him from church; don't 
you wish he would come and stay with papa all the time, 
then maybe he'd be good, too, and never would curse 
any more." The mother moved to tears looked down 
into the innocent face of her child and said, "my child, 
Jesus has come home with papa, and he'll be good now 
and go to heaven with mama, and you children." 

Months after this incident happened, a letter was sent 
to the singer which ran some thing like this: "I shall 
never cease thanking God for the song you sang and the 
talk you gave me at the church that Sunday afternoon. 
I joined the church last Sunday and am now trying to 
lead a different life from what I was leading when you 
first saw me." 



62 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

"I trust some day to meet him in heaven, saved 
thru Jesus' blood, forever more." 

THE OLD MILK MAN; "A DIAMOND FRQM THE 

ROUGH." 

Well I'll declare ! who is that poor fellow going down 
the street? "Oh, that's old Joe, the milk man. There 
is no one that likes him, he is so tough." 

"Well I guess God likes him. But maybe no one 
has told the old man so." 

That day one of the workers gave him a little card, 
an invitation to the meeting; printed upon the card were 
these words bold type: "Admit One at the opera house 
tonight." 

The old man was one of those peculiar characters 
that never went to a show only when he had a compli- 
mentary ticket. Not reading the card to see what the 
show was to be, he stuck it down in his overalls, tapped 
up his pony and hurried on to deal out his thin blue 
milk at ten cents a pint. He said it was so cold there 
that the cow wouldn't drink, so he watered the milk. 

He made his daily rounds, returning home a little 
earlier than usual. As he drove up to the gate he yelled 
out at his poor old ill-treated and heart-crushed wife 
saying, "Ma I wish you'd hurry up supper, I thought I 
would go down town a little while this evening;" With- 
out any reply she rushed into the kitchen and prepared 
their meal in a very few moments. To the astonish- 
ment of her husband, friends and neighbors the old lady 
was singing with all her soul as she cleared away the 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 63 

supper dishes, "Count Your Blessings, name them one 
by one." She had something to sing for, that the folks 
across the alley didn't know. 

She had planned that day to have the worker come 
to her home and talk to poor old Joe. And she had been 
talking to God about him, too, and now that he was go- 
ing to the meetings was too good. She just couldn't 
help but sing. 

Much to the surprise of the ushers, Joe appeared at 
the door real early; before the house was scarcely half 
filled. So they gave him a seat down near the front 
where he could see the whole show 'real plain,' as he 
expressed it. But poor fellow, he didn't know then 
what a warm show the first act would be. 

He was in the midst of a red hot revival campaign, 
but thought he had gone to a "rail goot show." In 
bleared eyed excitement he stood amazed when the young 
man stepped out on the platform and said, "We'll sing 
hymn number 64, but before we sing, we will bow our 
heads for a word of prayer." 

"Ef that don't beat all that I ever seed, a openin' a 
show with prayin' and singin' a tune." 

The prayer and song service ended in a flame of 
religious fire and enthusiasm. Then the noble little 
preacher mounted the platform and scattered gospel 
shot, slugs and shell in every direction. Occasionally a 
gospel slug would hit the old man in the heart, then you 
could see him wipe away the briney tears with the back 
of his hairy hand, straighten up and brace himself for 
another. 



64 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

The sermon ended in a glorious shout of victory. 
People were flocking to the altar to confess Christ, many 
of them by personal invitation from friends who were 
surging thru the audience. 

A worker ran against old Joe, tapped him on the 
arm and said, " God bless you, are you saved?" 

He whirled around and would not look at the worker. 
Then the worker said, "Turn around, I "want to see you." 
"Go away, I don't want to see you, nor won't." With 
that introduction the worker took him by the arm and 
pulled him around, saying, " Well, I just want to see 
your face and see what kind of an animal you are; you 
ought to be ashamed of yourself to treat a man as you 
are treating me." Then Joe turned and looked him 
squarely in the face, saying, "Now look here, pardner, 
I din't come down here to be talked to and pulled at. I 
come down here to hear that there feller make his spiel. 
They say he's a daisy. Say now pard, I would come to 
your meetin's but ef I do there's a lot of women that will 
be iumpin' on my back and trying to drag me to that 
thar anxious bench." "Well, old fellow, I'll tell you 
what I'll do." "What's that?" "If you come to this 
meeting as long as we are here, the first woman I see 
on your back, I will get a club and pound her off, and I'll 
not let any woman hurt you either, if you'll come." 
"Nor you wont talk to me neither." "Not if you don't 
want me to." 

"All right, I'll come." 

Three nights after this the worker was dealing with 
another man. Joe walked up and said, "hello pardner, 




L. J. Anderson, 
Before his Conversion 




L. J. Anderson, After his Conversion 
(see page 194) 






DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 65 

how are you coming on?" With a cool reply the worker 
held out his hand and gave Joe a hearty grip, saying, 
"I'll shake with you, but I have not time to talk to you." 

This was a hard lick, for Joe was getting very anxi- 
ous for some one to show him some attention. 

The following night he was suddenly taken with a 
very serious illness, which lasted three days. He and 
his wife thought his time had come to depart this life. 
He was up, however, in a few days and somewhat soft- 
ened. The wife asked the worker to call on Sunday after- 
noon and try to get him to attend the men's meeting. 
He went and was kindly received by them both. But 
when the time came to go to service Joe said, "No I 
aint a goin'! how do I know that you fellows are all 
right; the last two evangelists we had 'here were 
rascals one of them went off and owed everybody in 
town; the other one stole another man's wife and run 
off with her. So you may be the same kind of fellers." 
He said so much the worker picked up his hat and said, 
"Well, I'm sure then you don't want to go and hear such 
rascals; all right, goodbye, I have no respect for you. 
Your wife asked me to come to your home, and now, 
for you to treat me as you have, I won't waste any time 
on you," and bowed as he started out. "I see you have 
an Odd-Fellow pin on the lapel of your coat ; you certainly 
are the right man to wear it." "What do you know of 
Odd-Fellowship?" "Enough to know that you are a 
poor specimen." "Well, you seem to know so much, 
I'll get my hat and walk part the way with you and 
tell you of my lodge." 



66 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

He was soon landed in the meeting again. This 
time the preacher took off the hide by sections, salted the 
skinned places, then rubbed it in. The old man took 
it all in a good humor and when the call* was made for 
men to confess Christ, he was one of the first to make a 
public confession, and became a very enthusiastic worker 
in the meeting. When he returned to his little home 
there was great rejoicing in the hearts of his neighbors 
and a perfect campmeeting in his own home. 

Remarks like these could be heard along the streets 
and in his part of the city: 

"Well, I hope he'll stick." "I hope he'll give good 
measure to his milk customers now." 

"Well, I hope he'll give the water to the cows now, 
instead of to the people — in the milk." 

It was a remarkable conversion and the old man 
Joe lived a very useful and consistent life the remainder 
of his few days, which was only a short time, for early 
one morning he went out to milk his cows and did not 
return at his accustomed time. His wife went out to 
see why he tarried longer than usual. Her eyes soon 
fell upon his lifeless form, as he lay stretched out upon 
the grassy lawn cold in death. The poor fellow died 
just three weeks after he was saved. I'm sure he held 
out true to his profession that short time, and I shall 
expect to shake hands with him on the other side of the 
river of death. 

He was a "Diamond In The Rough" saved by the 
grace of God. 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 67 



A QUEER PREACHER— CONVERSION OF HIS 

SON. 

The weather was delightful, the sun was warm and 
all nature seemed to smile at the thought of having a 
real revival in a sin-cursed western frontier city. The 
announcements had been made that Evangelists Law and 
Phillips would hold a union gospel revival meeting at 
H. City, beginning November 25, 1906. So everybody 
lodked forward to the meeting as a great treat — some to 
enjoy the music, others to have somewhere to go and 
still a few expected to have a real feast for their soul. 

We arrived at the little city of H. on Saturday night, 
were met at the station by the pastor, a kind hearted 
congenial little fellow, whose looks indicated that he 
had seen much of the Western life, and had been faithful, 
as a pastor, to build up his charge. We were soon com- 
fortably domiciled in the best hotel in the town. Had 
a short talk with the pastor, then retired for the night. 

The first service was marked by some remarkable 
incidents. Sunday school was dismissed and as the 
crowd of children went pushing out, the early arrivals, 
forced their way to the front to secure good seats. 

By the time the evangelist and singer arrived the 
house was well filled. The pastor made a few introduc- 
tory remarks, presented the singer, after which a hymn 
was sung. Then he introduced the Evangelist; he made 
a short talk, had prayer, sang another song then an- 
nounced that Bro. Phillips would favor the congregation 
with a solo, which he attempted to do, but it turned out 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 



to be a duet instead of a solo, for when I reached the 
chorus, there was a thin, hatchet faced old gentleman, 
who sat to the right, and just in front of me who very 
enthusiastically joined in with me and sang or hummed 
or squealed thru the entire chorus. Of course I was 
embarrassed, excited and provoked. I stopped, looked at 
the pastor, then at my squeaky voiced assistant. The 
pastor shook his head at the old gentleman, then bowed 
at me, as if to say, "now he'll be good, proceed." I 
proceeded without interruption until I reached the chorus 
and with renewed energy my thin high-keyed voice 
friend turned himself loose without tune or words. This 
was too much for me. I turned to him and said : 
''Brother, perhaps you had better let me sing the remain- 
der of the song, as I have the book and you do not know 
the words." He looked confused, then muttered some- 
thing and then refused to sing any more, much to my 
delight. Tho he was mad and seemed restless he re- 
mained till the service closed. As he passed out at the 
side door I was near and heard him say, "Well, I am 
fifty years old and have been preaching most of my life 
and I never heard such a mess of stories and foolishness 
as that called preaching before." I felt a little dis- 
couraged at the remark and told Mr. Law, but he laughed 
and said the poor old man didn't mean any harm. 

Next afternoon we strolled down the lane and out into 
the country for a walk. As we were quietly walking 
down the road we heard some one hollowing and scream- 
ing coming up behind us. We turned to look and dis- 
covered it was our singing friend. He began to sing at 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 69 

the top of his thin high voice as he drew near us. We 
could not say anything, for we were amused and 
only glanced at him and smiled. This seemed to 
infuriate him, then he began singing as loud as he could, 
"Alas, and did my Savior bleed," then stopped, and yelled 
out: "But the Evangelist didn't." I said, "Law he 
means that for you." Then the old man whipped his 
team up and crossed the road just in front of us and as 
he did so, yelled out, "I have been preaching the gospel 
for forty years, but you are the d — d-st outfit I ever 
saw." We remained there three weeks and had a good 
meeting, but never saw our singer any more. 

One of the splendid features of the meeting was that 
it reached many of the Normal students and among the 
number was a grand-daughter of this old gentleman. As 
soon as her father heard that she was attending the 
meeting and had been converted, he phoned her to come 
home several miles in the country. She was so delighted 
with the meeting that, with the assistance of one of the 
teachers, they succeeded in getting the father's permis- 
sion for her to remain in school, provided she did not 
lose any time from her books. 

The meeting closed. We went our way to other fields 
of labor. While there, however, we promised a friend, 
who came fifteen miles every night to attend the services, 
that if we ever had an opportunity we would return and 
hold a meeting for them out at the little school house fif- 
teen miles from the railroad. A few months later, a date 
in Oklahoma was changed or canceled, so we had a chance 
to make our promise good. We went to Kansas City 
and wired them that we were coming, advising them to 



70 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

announce it as best they could thru the community, and 
to send conveyance to the station to meet us, stating 
upon what train we would arrive. We boarded the train 
at 10:30 p. m., and at daylight next morning rolled into 
the little station in Western Kansas, the same place where 
we had held the previous meeting. 

We were met by friends and escorted to the hotel 
and, as this was Sunday morning, we were informed that 
the announcement had been made for us to conduct 
services for them at the church where we held the previ- 
ous meeting. What a delightful time we had. (Saw many 
of the new converts and heard them sing and testify as 
they did the night the revival closed. 

In the afternoon we were driven out to our country 
appointment on the Smoky River Valley at Smoky Hill 
school house. 

We were greeted at our first services by a mixed 
multitude of farmers and ranchmen, their wives and 
children. They were kind hearted and appreciative and 
sang with great enthusiasm. The second night of the 
meeting I was standing at the door shaking hands with 
the people as they came in. In stepped a big square 
shouldered fellow, with dark eyes and hair and rather 
a hard look on his face. I took him by the hand and 
said, "Well, God bless you old fellow, are you a chris- 
tian." "No," he said very short, "I'd like to know how 
a fellow could be a christian and deal in real estate in 
Kansas." I replied very emphatically to him that if he 
was dealing in real estate for Uncle Sam and didn't do 
it on the square, they had a place for him down at 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 71 

Leavenworth and would request him to cease dealing 
in real estate and move down to Leavenworth and reside 
there, if they should find out about his crooked deals. 
This was our introduction, which grew into warm friend- 
ship. For nearly a week I talked, begged, quarrelled, 
cursed, blessed, loved and prayed for him and finally 
said, "Well, I've done all I can for you, if you will go 
to hell you will just have to go, I can't help you, or at 
least, you won't let me help you, so good-bye, I won't 
trouble you any more." I left him that Saturday night 
with my mind made up not to speak to him another time, 
unless he made the first move. To my great surprise, 
bright and early Sunday morning he came driving up to 
the house where I was stopping. He came to the door, 
was invited in ; "No," said he, "I want to see that sing- 
ing fellow." I stepped out and greeted him pleasantly 
and gave him a warm handshake, for I was glad in my 
heart he came, for I knew what it would mean to him. 
He looked at me smilingly and said, "my wife wants 
you to come up and spend the day with us." "Your 
wife wants me to spend the day with you?" "Oh well, 
my daughter, who was converted over at your meetings 
at H. came out home this morning and she wants you 
to come, too." "Your wife and your daughter want me 
tcTcome. Well I guess I cant go, we have arranged to 
go four miles south of here for dinner and it would be 
too bad to disappoint those people." 

By this time he began to get anxious and I was as 
anxious as he; then he stepped up close to me and said, 
"I came after you and I want you to go and I'll be disap- 
pointed, too, if you don't go." 



72 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

"That settles it," said I," if you want me to go I'll 
go. But I would have died before I would have gone 
without your personal invitation. Yes, I'll go and I'll 
promise you now that I'll make this the warmest day 
for you you ever saw in December." I did go and spent 
at least six hours preaching to him that day; never had 
a sweeter and better day in my life than I had in that 
little house trying to lead that dear man to Christ. 

We left the home just before sundown to drive seven 
miles to the school house where we held service. The 
service was fine, the house was jammed, people came 
15 miles to be at that one service. As the last call was 
being made I went to my friend, put my arm on his 
broad shoulder and looked him in the face and said, 
"My dear sir, I have had a splendid time with you, have 
learned to love you and tonight when this meeting closes 
we will part and it may be forever." 

"But I don't want it to be that way. I want to meet 
you again and in a better world than this, where there 
won't be any sand storms and drouths and failures in 
crops ; I want you to go to the altar and surrender and 
meet me in heaven." This was too much for him. God 
had used the plain rough plan to reach his big heart. He 
broke down and wept, gave me his hand and said, I'll 
meet you there;" he went forward for prayer and was 
wonderfully saved and rejoiced with his friends as we 
sang "Sweet bye and bye." 

He joined the church at the nearest town and when I 
returned there for a meeting a few months later he 
just turned his farm over to his wife and boys and came 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 73 

and stayed three days and nights with me and roomed 
with me, he was so anxious to learn how to be a useful 
christian. I did all I could to encourage him and to help 
him on to a successful life. 

FELT LIKE TWO FOR A QUARTER. 

"Good morning sir." 

"Good morning." 

"What might be your name." 

"It might have been Joe Peter Highgrass, but it 
wasn't, it's just plain Ed Phillips." 

"Well you don't live here in these parts do you.?" 

"Did you ever see me here before?" 

"No." 

"You say your name is Phillips?" 

"Yes." 

"Oh! you are the fellow that is holding the meeting 
at the Methodist church." 

"Yes." 

"I have been wanting to come around and hear you 
fellows, but I have been so busy I just couldn't get 
there." "Now, there isn't any use in you lying that way, 
you didn't try; you could have come if you wanted to." 

"Really now, doctor, I will come some time, sure. 
My father was an elder in the church for forty years; 
I was brought up in the old Scotch Presbyterian church 
and when I was a boy I could quote many of the Psalms 
and whole chapters in the New Testament. I can quote 
many passages yet and in the old Gaelic, which was my 
native tongue," 



74 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

Here he turned loose on the Lord's prayer, but if it 
had been the prayer of the King of Hayti, it would have 
sounded just as plain to me. 

By this time he had convinced me that he had been 
brought up very strict in the old church of Scotland and 
had learned many things in childhood that stayed with 
him through all his life of sin, for now he was a man of 
perhaps forty-eight years of age, with a large family of 
beautiful children and a good Christian wife, tho he was 
hardened in the sins incident to the life of a railroad man. 
He was in many ways a fine character and one of the 
most attractive looking men I ever saw, possessing many 
noble qualities, showing that he had been well reared. I 
had promised the pastor of the church that I would try 
to get him saved and into the church with his family. 
He came to the meeting one night to hear the Railroad 
song; the sermon and the song both struck him in a vital 
spot. Every time I met him on the street we would 
have a long hard but pleasant tussle. Each time I would 
get a little better hold upon him. He finally reached 
the point where he was almost ready to yield himself 
to the Lord, so he promised to come the following night 
and surrender. 

The nearer the time came for the service, the less 
inclined he was to go. So he told his wife he was just 
simply sick and couldn't go, and didn't. Of course I 
was disappointed. Met him next day, and he put up a 
frail excuse ; then I told him when a man promised to do 
a thing and openly refused to do it the folk in Arkansas 
called that a "lie." 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 75 

Then he said if I would let him off he would come 
the next time sure and he would "get right." But he 
failed to show up. Just about church time he was called 
out on the line to repair a bridge that had been burned. 
I had previously told him that he had better be careful 
how he ran from the Lord ; the first thing he knew he 
would wind up in a wreck. Sure enough he did. On 
his trip out that night, he ran into another train and 
had a complete breakdown and spent the entire night on 
the road trying to patch up his crippled engine. 

While he was down under the engine trying to turn 
a nut, he suddenly stopped and looked up at the fireman, 
saying, "It's no matter for me. I might have gone to 
church. I'll bet five dollars that fellow is praying for 
me right now and if I ever get this old engine on the 
track and back home, I am going to church and get my 
old shipwrecked soul repaired, and on God's road that 
leads to a better place than railroading in Missouri." 

He got back all right the next day and went to 
church that night. 

When the call was made he reluctantly went forward 
and in an awkward and embarrassed way took a seat 
on the front pew, and sat there, and felt mean and looked 
very much confused. With persistent effort, praying, 
singing, talking and reading God's word to him, he finally 
made a surrender, tho didn't seem clear that night. 
However, the next night he was there early and up near 
the front, accompanied by one of his railroad men, who 
was a much worse man than he had ever been. He came 
to me and said, "Phillips, you did so well on me, try 



76 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

your hand on Bob. He is tough as the devil." He 
forgot he had been converted and let slip that expres- 
sion and others, too, later in the service, that seemed 
rough, tho he was unconscious of any harm. I was 
pleading with Bob, but making slow speed, so our new 
convert came to nry relief. He said, "Now, look here, 
Bob, you just go right on up there with this here fellow 
and you do what he tells you to do, if it's to stand on 
your head. He got me up there last night and I looked 
like a fool and felt about like two for a quarter, but, sir, 
after I went, By gollies I felt all right." As ridiculous 
as that sounds, it really happened. No one heard it but 
myself and Bob and he was too much concerned to notice 
a little remark like that, for he was accustomed to them. 
Bob went and was converted and united with the 
church, as did his friend, and the last time I heard of 
them they were both good religious railroad men. His 
first effort at personal work was crude, but the Lord 
blessed it and his friend was saved. So, most any of us 
can do some work of that kind, even tho we are inex- 
perienced. 

"JOE, I'VE GOT THE OLD TIME RELIGION." 

Rev. L. P. Law and myself were holding a tent meet- 
ing out in Western Texas just a few months ago. One 
night I was doing personal work and was seining around 
thru the audience, for a fish, and I struck one. I was 
talking to a druggist who was a church member, but 
not saved ; he said, "Oh, go on, and talk to that lawyer 
over there, he needs it more than I." So I took him at 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 11 

his word, walked down to the gentleman and tapped him 
on the shoulder and said, "Well, I'm sure you would like 
to be a christian." "No," said he, "I have no desire 
whatever to be a christian. I am as good as your church 
members." I said, "All right, going to hell and glad of 
it and you want every body to know it." "Oh, no I 
don't know that I want to go to hell especially." Then 
he proceeded to tell me how very, very good -he was. 
I waited till he got thru and then I looked him squarely 
in the eyes and said, "You are lying, and you know it. 
There is not a word of truth in what you say and you 
might make some men believe you, but you have struck 
one that you can't deceive." "I don't like to be talked 
to in any such way," said he. "Neither do I like to have 
a man lie to me as you are doing," said I. Then I knew 
he was wounded, so I left him. He staid away from the 
meeting a few nights. When he came back he came 
nearer the front, a good sign. I had about the usual 
round with him that I had before. Next night he came 
and took the nearest seat he could get to the stand, 
but just outside the tent. I went out where he was and 
laid my hand upon his shoulder and said to him. "All 
the boys in school have been converted in this meeting 
except your brother and they tell me it's your influence 
that keeps him away." "No, I am quite sure you are 
mistaken for he doesn't listen to me, nor has any regard 
for what I say." I said, "Amen! neither have I and I 
hope he never will." That was too much for him. He 
got deliberately up and went home and went to bed, but 
not to sleep. He was so convicted he could not sleep 



78 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

so he prayed, and he prayed and he prayed, nearly all 
night. About three o'clock in the morning he got the 
victory and shouted the remainder of the night. He was 
cut on the streets next morning before eight o'clock 
making up with people with whom he had been at outs. 
He went to a man that he had been carrying a gun for 
and expected to have to shoot "down" any time. He 
walked into his place of business and said, "Joe, I got 
the 'old-time religion' last night and it makes me 'love 
every body,' and that includes you. I have nothing 
against you this morning and I want you to go with me 
to the tent and get religion too." 

At ten o'clock he came to the meeting. His friend 
didn't come till night service. When the call for seekers 
was given I heard some noise on the outside of the tent. 
1 stepped out to see what it was. To my astonishment 
I found my new convert out there with his old-time 
enemy but new-made friend, down on his knees in the 
middle of the road, praying for him and trying to lead 
him to Christ. I got them up and led them into the tent 
and to the altar. Then we called on the new convert 
to pray for his friend. If I shall live a hundred years I 
shall not forget one part of his prayer — about like this : 
"Oh Lord forgive us of our sins, for they are great. In 
our sight they are as high as a mountain ; but in Thy 
sight, Oh Lord, they aint any bigger than a tater." 

His prayer was answered and his friend was saved. 
Tho he was a finely educated man, he seemed perfectly 
at ease and did not hesitate to use like expressions when 
he prayed. He made a fine worker in the meeting and 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 79 

has since been promoted from County Attorney to County 
Judge and is almost a preacher. 

"A LITTLE TALK WITH JESUS MAKES IT 
RIGHT, ALL RIGHT." 

Do you know that you were talking to one of the 
shrewdest men in Missouri this morning, and he's an 
infidel too, I think. 

"Who are you talking about." 

"Mr. G — , the gentleman I saw you button-holeing 
over at the court house to day." 

"You don't mean to tell me that he is one of your 
smartest men. That hatchet-faced, hooked-nosed, 
stringy-haired fellow with eyes like two auger holes in a 
barn door." 

"Yes sir, that man can tell you every law that has 
been passed in the United States Senate for the last 
twenty years. He reads the congressional records with 
more interest than you read your Bible." "Well, if long 
hair and it unkept, rags and dirt and a sour disposition 
means intelligence, that fellow certainly has a right to 
claim a large portion." Yet with all those outward man- 
ifestations of a useless, thriftless misspent life, he had 
something about him that drew you to him and you 
were a little disappointed when he left you. For he 
would not at first allow you to more than pass the time 
of day with him until he would be off on short notice. 

"I wish you would stick to him Bro. Phillips and see 
if you can't catch him for the Lord. For he certainly 
is a big "Diamond." Do you know, sir, that that fellow 



80 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

has seven brothers who are preachers, and if he were 
to get a good case of religion I believe he would preach 
too." 

The next time I met the man I walked up to him 
and put my arm around him and said, "Old fellow, I 
am praying for you, and I want you to give your heart 
to God and quit your foolishness." 

"Oh, pshaw! I haint got no time to be fooling with 
you, let me go. It takes all my time to keep these 
politicians straight." 

The next time I met him he was becoming more 
tame. He talked awhile and promised to come to the 
men's meeting and did. He went away under such con- 
viction that he refused to return to the meeting that 
night. The Evangelist had struck him in the heart and 
wounded him seriously. When I met him again he be- 
gan making excuses before I scarcely got to him. He 
said, "I'll tell you, parson, I am such a cusser, if I were 
to get religion tonight I'd cuss before breakfast tomor- 
row morning." 

"Well, then don't eat any breakfast. Just fast all 
day." 

The old man didn't say anything but turned away. 

That night when the altar call was made he came with 
many others and yielded himself to Christ. I took him 
by the hand and said, "Now if you'll trust in Jesus He 
will keep you." 

"Oh yes, but I have such an awful temper I will 'cuss' 
before I get my truster to work." 

"Oh now, you can have a little talk with Jesus and 




J. N. McConnell, The Chicken Man 
(see page 75) 




James A. Filer. In the Story 
-Tell Mother I'll be There" (see page 149) 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 81 

that will make it right, all right. If you will take this 
advice, you will never swear again." 

"Well what is it. I'll take anything you'll give me." 

"It is this. Just before you swear or when you get 
real mad just stop and sing that little song, 'A Little 
Talk With Jesus Makes it Right, all Right/ If you will, 
you'll never swear as long as you live." 

"Well but I can't sing." 

"If you can't sing, then talk, if you can't talk when 
you are mad, then whistle." 

Then we parted and did not meet again till the fol- 
lowing afternoon. I had forgotten about the little bit 
of advice I had given my new made friend. I started 
down to the office to post some letters. I saw my friend 
coming down the street with his head thrown back his 
face shining like a new moon, and whistling like a steam 
calliope. "Glad to see you this afternoon. Hope you 
feel as happy as you look." 

"Happy! I should say I was. Got it? of course I 
have, and know it to." 

"How do you know it?" 

"From an experience I had when I started to town 
this morning." "Do you want me to tell you how I know 
I have got religion." 

"Yes." 

"You know it was mighty cold this morning. I had 
to bring an extra horse to town, so I tied him to the 
harness of the lead horse that I was driving to the wagon, 
then I had a pig hobbled and thrown in the back end of 
the wagon bed. When I tapped up my team and started, 



82 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

this frightened the horse that was leading; he jumped 
and started to run, then the pig in the wagon began 
squealing and bucking. I tried to stop the team with 
one hand and reach back and hold the young hog with 
the other. Just then the old yard dog saw the commo- 
tion and he ran out and started to follow me to town. 
This was too much, my Irish temper got started. T 
jumped up and yelled out at the dog as loud as I could, 
Go back! Go back! you low down yallow — Go back you 
— The dog dropped, his head and tail and looked some- 
what disappointed as he turned and went skulking back 
to the barn." 

"Before the first word had escaped my lips I thought 
of the little song you told me to sing. And I almost 
fell on my knees to the old dog as I said, "Oh Touse! 
its all right now, you can go, then I began to sing "A 
little talk with Jesus makes it right, all right." 

"I'll tell you, Br. Phillips, it did make it all right for 
I havent even thought of cussing since that time." 

He joined the church and went to active work in the 
meeting. The last night of the revival, one of his preacher 
brothers came in from the country to see what kind of 
fellows it could be that could get his old wicked brother 
to attend at meetings, much less get him saved. He 
was so favorably impressed with the man that had reached 
his brother, that at the close of the service he reached 
up and threw his big strong arms around me and held 
me tight till he planted a great big country kiss on my 
face, saying as he did so, "I can love any man that 
much, who has done for my brother what none of his 
six preacher brothers could do." 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 83 



"CAP HAS GOT SOMETHING THAT MAKES HIS 
FACE SHINE." 

Sunday night the house was so crowded that many 
people were turned away. 

Some of the later arrivals not accustomed to going 
to church were ushered forward and seated in the front 
pew, much to the dislike of the preacher, who turned 
to me and said, "Phil I can't preach with all that 
crowd of old mud-cat sinners staring me in the face." 
"Bless your heart, that gang needs the gospel worse 
than any crowd that has been to these meetings. Give 
them hell, fire and brimstone and let them have a few 
sulphurous odors from their future abode; it will be a 
treat to them." The evangelist smiled and said, "Well 
you hold while I skin, and we'll start a tan yard here 
tomorrow." 

Sunday night is always a hard time to hold your 
crowd. But he held them close for over an hour. At the 
close of the sermon Mr. Law said: "Phil, there's a 
'mud-cat' flouncing around on the front pew, go after 
him." 

It is needless to say I went after him. He was a 
very large rough looking man, only had one eye, but 
he could look thru you with one. If he had had two, 
don't know that I could have faced him. 

I took him by the hand as he sat straight up, while 
all near him were kneeling at the altar. I said, "Old 
fellow get down on your knees and give your heart to 



84 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

God." "Oh no !" said he, "I didn't come up here." "Well 
how on earth did you get here then?" 

"They just brought me." "You don't mean to tell 
me that little spindling usher brought you?" 

"Oh no, he didn't exactly bring me, he just lead me 
to this seat." 

"Well, God bless your heart, sir, now let me lead 
you to Christ?" 

Then I dropped on my knees beside him saying, 
"Come on, get down here and let's tell the Lord how 
'no-account' you have been." 

"Well, the Lord knows I am the meanest man in 
Kansas." "Yes, but he'll forgive you." Down on his 
knees he dropped and he looked like a young elephant 
as he got down. As I urged him to accept Christ, he 
would say, "Oh I didn't come up here to get religion. 
They just brought me." "Well suppose they did, 
wouldn't this be a good time to get religion?" 

"Yes, bless God, it will and I'll just do it now." He 
jumped up and went to shaking hands with his friends. 
I really didn't know whether the fellow was saved or 
was just feigning so. However, he gave his name as a 
convert and said he would bring some of his men to 
the meeting the next night. 

He was foreman of a gang of bridge and dam build- 
ers on the Republican river in North Kansas. They 
called him "Cap", as he was the leader; most of his men, 
like himself, were very profane. So they decided to 
watch the "Cap" next day after he professed religion 
and if he didn't swear any they would believe in relig- 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 85 

ion and wanted it. If it could keep a fellow that was so 
tough as he it would keep them, too. 

The next afternoon I took a walk down on the river, 
where they were putting in a large mill dam. One of the 
men who was a christian, slipped up to me and took me 
by the hand and said, "Say, Mr. Phillips, this gang of 
men are as serious today as if we were" at a funeral. I 
haven't heard an oath today. And just a while ago, I 
overheard two of the men talking abouf "Cap". One 
of the men said, "Did you ever see such a change in a 
man. He speaks so kindly to his men now, and he hasn't 
sworn an oath today, but instead has been singing or 
whistling all the morning. Hush there he comes now. 
But say, Bill, did you ever see such a change in a fel- 
low; the "Cap" has sure enough got something that 
makes his face shine like the noon-day sun." 

By this time the Captain walked up to where I was 
standing talking to one of his men. He grasped my 
hand and said, "Oh, Brother Phillips, I do want you to 
get all my men to attend your meetings. And if they 
can just get religion like I got it, we will have better 
times in our homes than some of us have been having." 

As he talked the tears trickled down his rough brown 
bearded face. 

That night he lined up eight or nine of his men at 
the altar, and most of them were converted and went 
into the church and went to work. 

One year later we returned to that city and the Cap- 
tain had gone thru the great Kansas river overflow — 
lost everything in the world that he had and almost lost 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 



his own life; did break down in health from the awful 
experience and exposure he underwent in the flood. 

When we visited him in his little cottage and found 
him almost an invalid, he looked up smilingly thru his 
tears and said, "Well, praise the Lord, I am going where 
there won't be any floods, sickness nor death, and I am 
so glad I am ready and have nothing to fear. Thank 
God for the night when you pulled me down on my knees 
and pounded religion in my old hard heart. I'll meet 
you over there some day and we'll talk it all over again." 

We closed the door and passed out. Mr. Law said, 
"Phillips, the salvation of that man is worth all the 
hardships that we have had to endure in this life, if we 
were not to ever lead another man to Christ." 

A LETTER FROM A CONVERTED 
DRINKING MAN. 

Muskogee, Okla., April 17, 1911. 
Mr. E. G. Phillips, 

Dear Sir and Brother: — Yours of the 16th inst. re- 
ceived. I was oh! so glad to hear from you. I was 
fearing that you were so busy that you had forgotten 
me in the shuffle but your letter was like "getting money 
from home;" such a help and so much encouragement; 
but let me say here that for a little more than two 
weeks God has kept me from being tempted. Of course 
I can realize that the devil is ever present, but what I 
mean is this, that it has been so easy for me to turn him 
down. I can feel the good and great influence that the 
good-fellows have thrown around me. You know them 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 87 

all, Mr. Ed Alley, Mr. Havice, Dr. Boswell, Mr. Holmes 
and a few others. I believe God has put it in their 
hearts to do this for me for there is nothing for them 
to gain more than help a poor sinner up when I was away- 
down, for I was next to the bottom round of the ladder 
to the deep hole that has no bottom. Yes kind sir, I 
may fall but if I keep my head as I know how, only I may 
forget, but I keep praying to God all the time to help 
me and know as long as I do this that Satan don't stand 
any chance whatever. I am so thankful for there is 
no one living that wants to be a christian more than I 
do and am going to make every effort to keep up and 
at it. I always thought it would be hard to live a chris- 
tian life, but in my short experience I have found it 
the easiest thing I ever tried, and if this keeps up I 
certainly can put up a good fight. 

What surprises me most is how* and why I tumbled 
in so easy, but Mr. Alley caught me just ready to hand it 
all up. It's rather a long story but I'm going to tell it to 
you anyway. You have been told my weak point — well 
I had been on a rather protracted spree of about two 
weeks; some people, friends (?), would say "you will 
have to cut out this" and give lots of good advice as to 
what I should do, but you, I hope, don't know what I 
do about those things. Well as I stated, when a man 
is saturated for two weeks all the time, when he feels 
the effects dying out he is inclined to see things ; advice 
don't do much good, its some one to act. A friend saw 
me on the street and literally forced me to his house 
and to bed. I told him I could not get along but would 



88 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

have to have a doctor. He said we would have all the 
doctors in this city if I needed them ; well I let him have 
his way. He waited on me like a nurse for three days 
and got me over the hard places, it was Monday noon 
when I came in; Thursday I was up street for the first 
time. 'Saturday I reported at the office first time in three 
weeks. I was so weak and woe-begone that I did not 
care much for anything, but oh I wanted to get away from 
the Devil so bad ; in my heart I was begging for mercy. I 
wanted help (and as I told you, I came near going to 
some minister) but knew no one; did not even know a 
man or woman that I thought would care a straw about 
me; so I was fighting away in the office and begging 
God to help me. Never a poor fellow lived that was 
putting up the scrap that I was, and alone. Blue, oh you 
don't know how one can suffer! Well I kept this up 
Saturday, Sunday and until Monday afternoon when Mr. 
Alley came in the office. I guess he must have seen 
what was the matter and what I needed — a man whom 
I had the utmost confidence in, and one I considered a 
friend — well you know the rest, he would not leave the 
oflftce until I half gave a promise to go to church that 
night. He had not been gone long when time began to 
go slow and it seemed a long afternoon and when even- 
ing came I was as anxious to get down to that church as 
a small boy to a circus and there were only a few people 
in the house when I got there, and then I have wondered 
how you had me spotted out in such a little time — I am 
so thankful to God, — oh ! such sweet peace, — I just want 
to yell sometimes; but I don't forget how weak we are 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 89 

but keep asking Jesus to help me hold on to the big water 
wagon. Well, as before stated, I did not know whether 
I had a real friend in the city or not but now I know I 
have many of them. About a half dozen of the big fel- 
lows have promrsed to come to me any time I want 
them. All I have to do is just call them on the telephone 
and I know they will come whenever I send in a distress 
signal. Say, isn't that worth a whole lot? You see I 
am preparing for any attack the old boy many want to 
put up, for I can't tell which side he is coming up on. 

I know there was one glad heart away back in W. 
Virginia, for she wrote the finest letter. 

Yes I am going to join the church soon, but I gave 
Rev. Scales my name and my word that I would join, 
and that is the same to me as if I were already a member. 

I only wish it were possible for me to spend a little 
time with you and hope this may be possible sometimes 
in the near future. I thank you dear Brother for remem- 
bering to offer prayers for me each day; that is very 
encouraging, and please keep on; tell God each day of a 
friend you have who wants to live a christian life and I 
am promising to make every effort in my power. 

Am glad to hear you are feeling better but be careful 
and don't expose yourself — you know there is such dan- 
ger of colds from an overheated building, and then out- 
door exposure. Hope Mrs. Phillips will soon be able to 
join you again. I do thank you from the bottom of my 
heart for the interest you have taken in me. Please 
pray that I may make good, and write me as often as you 
can. Goodnight. L. C. S. Muskogee, Okla. 



90 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 



"A DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH." 

I was traveling in Oklahoma a few years ago, and 
missed my train, upon which I expected to reach home. 
I was compelled to remain all day in a small town, 
rilled with all classes and color of people. 

We spent the day as best we could, around a cheap 
hotel. After supper we went into the front room, or 
parlor I suppose it was, and I sat down to the piano and 
struck the chords, and we sang, "Diamonds in the Rough." 
I was too tired to sing much, so we drifted out on the 
porch, and walked about for awhile; then I went back 
into the office. To my surprise, there sat a big rough 
looking fellow, though kind hearted, reading the Bible. 
He had two pistols buckled around him. He was a U. S. 
Marshall. I said, "Well hello, this is a peculiar place to 
be reading the Bible. Didn't suppose there was a Bible 
in sight. Guess you are a Christian aren't you?' 1 

"No, I am a "Diamond in the Rough," and I need a 
little polish." "Well, bless your heart" I said, "You can 
be saved now if you will." "Well, I certainly do. My 
wife died just a few days ago, and left me with a family 
of small children to raise, and I feel like I can't do it 
right if I am left alone." 

This touched my heart. I took from my pocket some 
tickets I had arranged for dealing with railroad people. 
"Ticket from earth to Glory, no stop-over." It was 
filled with passages of scripture, telling about the road, 
and why I should go on this road, the best and surest 
and only way. 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 91 

■>■ 

He was much interested in the road, which was really 
the road to Heaven. He asked me to give him the ticket, 
and he wanted to go over that road. I did give him the 
ticket, with the understanding that he would follow its 
teachings, confess his sins, and some day meet me in 
Heaven. He took me by the hand and with tears in his 
eyes. He said, " I will surely meet you there." I left him 
happy that night. And with a promise that I would come 
to his town and hold a meeting, but so far have never 
been able to get there. 

WRECKED BY THE WINE CUP. 
LOST AFTER ALL. 

Evangelist L. P. Law and I were distributing posters, 
announcing our Men's Meeting for Sunday afternoon. 
We came to a saloon. I said, "Old man you have me 
bested, I cannot go in there." 

"Alright," said he, "you wait here at the door and I'll 
go in and invite these fellows to come to our service." 
He went in and handed each man a card saying, "Come 
out men and hear the gospel; get saved. Quit this bus- 
iness of wrecking men, and be a real "shore nuff Chris- 
tian." 

As he bowed himself out, they looked at each other, 
and smiled saying, "He has got his nerve." "Yes, we 
always carry that with us," he said. 

We endeavored to get them saved, and to close their 
place of business, and here is a product of his mill. 

We give the clipping, just as it was reported in the 
town paper, without a change. 



92 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 



KILLED BY AN ALTON TRAIN. 

Body Found Near Tabo Crossing About 2 o'clock 
Yesterday Covered With Snow — Had Been Here. 

Ben Payne, son of Charles Payne, a well known 
farmer three miles north of Mayview, this country, was 
killed Tuesday night by Chicago & Alton train near Tabo 
crossing, 2 miles west of this city. The body was found 
by a searching party at 2 o'clock yesterday morning, 
covered with snow. He was a brother of Price and 
George Payne of this city, Will payne of Kansas City 
and Wood Payne of Lexington. 

Mr. Payne had been in Higginsville during the day, 
and, it is stated, had been drinking moderately. About 
6 o'clock he ordered his sleigh and started home. An 
hour later the team came back to town, hitched to the 
sleigh and was taken in charge by a liveryman. Gome 
young men were sent to see if they could find Mr. Payne. 
They found where the team had turned in the snow to 
come back to town. Supposing that Mr. Payne would 
soon return, they came back. 

Wednesday a messenger was sent to the home of 
Mr. Payne and the family said he had not yet returned. 
At night when the messenger returned a searching party 
was sent out to see if the body could be found, as this 
time it was believed he was killed. Inquiry at farm 
houses brought no tidings of the missing man. 

The party was composed of Ed Hughes, Herbert 
Martin, Arthur McClain, John Ewing, Sam and Grover 
Jackman, Ed Short, Charles Payne and Jesse Jones. 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 93 

At Tabo crossing they decided to patrole the right 
of way of the railroad, and forming in fours they began 
a search. About 200 yards west of the crossing they 
found the body. The dead man was lying on his back. 

The body was entirely covered with the heavy snow, 
which had fallen during the night, except the right hand 
which was in an erect position. 

The men came back to town and asked Dr. Mann, 
the coroner, over the phone what to do with the body. 
He instructed them to bring it to town. A return trip 
was made with a bus and the body taken to Hader's 
undertaking rooms. 

It is supposed that the team got away from Payne 
and that he started to walk to Mayview on the railway, 
resulting in the accident as stated. 

It is reported that Mr. Payne was soon to have been 
mjarried. He was an industrious man and an honored 
citizen. He was 32 years of age. 

The remains will be laid to rest at 2 o'clock this 
afternoon in the city cemetery. 

The sad accident has cast a gloom over the community 
and the bereaved relatives have the sympathy of every- 
body. 

QUIT SUNDAY HARVESTING. 

The last two nights of the campaign the evangelist 
was sick and could not preach. The closing night the 
pastor was to take an offering for the workers, but the 
pastor lost his hold on his crowd and let fly some very 
scathing remarks; the audience didn't respond to the 



94 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

financial aid of the workers as the pastor thought they 
ought, so he proceeded to tell them what he thought of 
a crowd who would lay down like that. However, the 
offering was . better than the workers had anticipated. 
After making a few remarks, the pastor turned to the 
singer and said, "You had better take charge of the meet- 
ing and call penitents, for I feel like I needed to go to the 
mourners bench myself." Then the pastor sat down, 
saying, "Phillips, you can preach, sing or dismiss this 
crowd, just as you like." 

It was the last night of a great meeting and I felt 
like it was not right to send them away empty headed, 
as well as with empty pockets. So I tried in a scatter- 
ing way to tell them how to succeed in christian life. 
Spoke especially on observing the Sabbath day and at- 
tending church. 

There happened to be a man in the audience who 
had been harvesting his rice crop on Sunday. He was 
hit. He came to the altar, he made a profession. After- 
ward came to see me, and told me how he had been for 
years running his rice binders on Sunday. When we 
parted he promised that he would never cut another 
grain of rice on the Sabbath day. 

But Oh! how soon some of us forget our promise 
to God and man. 

The season was unusually wet, the crops were late 
in maturing. When he did get started to cutting his 
grain, he felt that he must rush to complete the job. 
When Sunday came he never stopped. He ran his 
machine all day against the protest of his good wife. 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 95 

"I tell you, John, you had better not run that reaper on 
Sunday, you will lose all your work and grain, too." 
From the first Sunday that old binder started till the day 
it quit, or went out of business, there was a continual 
down or tear-up. But finally after much weariness of 
flesh and loss of sleep the crop was in the shock. The 
old man got good after this, said to his wife, "Ma, IVe 
had a mighty hard time saving this crop ; now I remem- 
ber what I promised that singer; I am ashamed of my- 
self." 

Very soon thrashing time came. The thrasher wound 
up the last field for old man Jones on Saturday. On 
Sunday morning he drove into Bro. Jno's. rice field with 
his big steam thrashing machine. The entire family, 
excepting the wife, was out to see the highland steamer, 
as she plowed though the muddy fields and across canals, 
or small water ways. They started into a small canal; 
down they went, the further they went the deeper they 
got. Finally the steam monster with all its cargo of 
harvesting paraphernalia stopped in the middle of the 
ditch, couldn't move a wheel. John walked up to the 
owner of the outfit and tapped him on the shoulder and 
said, "Just let her stand, pardner, there'll never be an- 
other wheel turned on my farm on Sunday as long as I 
live." The machine staid there several days before it 
was landed on solid soil so it could work. 

The old man thrashed and sold his crop, but came 
out several hundred dollars behind in the Sunday harvest- 
ing business. As he sat on the depot platform and swing- 



91 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

ing his feet back and forth he kicked his heels against the 
cotton bales. 

He looked me in the face and said, "Bro. Phillips, as 
I sat there and looked at that old thrasher bogged 
down in the mire that Sunday morning, I said in my 
heart, God has brought this all on me to teach me a 
lesson. 

I am all mired down in sin this morning worse than 
that old thrashing machine." When I saw him six months 
later he said, "Bro. Phillips I am doing well now and 
God has blest me, but I don't work any more on Sun- 
days, and all my teams rest too on the Lord's day." 

SABBATH BREAKING. 

Several years ago we held a meeting in a Northern 
Iowa town. While there met a Dr. Robertson, who was 
a church member, but not a working member. We be- 
came fast friends and have remained so down to the 
present time, frequently corresponding with him. 

We planned to meet at Chicago and have a visit a 
few years ago. But each time failed. 1S0 we planned 
to meet at the World's Fair at St. Louis. But when 
the time came to start he was called to Memphis, Ten- 
nessee, on business and I was in western Texas holding 
meetings and it seemed that our efforts to meet would 
result in a failure again. 

I determined, however, that our plans should mate- 
rialize this time. So I wrote him to that effect, and 
by changing my route it was a very easy matter to run by 




A Quartette of Diamond Diggers. 

Reading from left to right 

Mrs. and Rev. Law. Mrs. and Mr. Phillips. 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 97 

Memphis and spend a day or so there, and then on to the 
Fair together. 

I took the train at Ft. Worth, Texas one morning 
and the next day at 6 :30 I rolled into Memphis, was 
met by my long loved friend and escorted to the home 
of his sister, Mrs. J. James. We had a delightful time 
there taking in the various things of interest. Among 
the most interesting things to the Dr. were the large and 
beautiful trees, he having been reared on the treeless 
prairies of Illinois and Iowa. 

One beautiful warm Sunday afternoon we strolled 
out on the river front, took a seat on some old rubbish 
and watched the people as they came and went on their 
excursion boats, forgetful of God and the Sabbath day. 
Late in the afternoon we turned our footsteps homeward, 
tired of seeing the desecration of God's holy day. We 
were walking down one of the main streets and passed 
a place where they were excavating for an immense 
modern building. To my astonishment and disapproval 
I saw a great number of men at work on this building, 
or place for the building. I knew, too, the president of 
the business that was to occupy the building was one 
of the most noted Sunday School workers in the South. 
As we reached the spot I said "Doctor that's entirely 
wrong, these men wont make any time by this, but in- 
stead will lose time and money." The Doctor said "Oh! 
I guess not ; these men came all the way from New York, 
and they are under contract to get that building com- 
pleted by a certain time." "Be that as it may, it's awful 
to see men doing this on Sunday and it will all have 



98 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

to be done over." "Oh ! I guess you are an old fogy, 
raised in the country and don't know any better," he 
said in a joking way. By this time we were just in 
front of the five story building that was on the edge 
of the excavation and the building was propped and 
braced to keep it from tumbling over into the great hole. 
I told the Doctor those braces wouldn't do any good, for 
I thought the Lord would smash the entire outfit be- 
fore it was completed. 

Just then we stepped upon the curbing in front of 
this old rickity propped building. A strange peculiar 
feeling of indescribable awe came over me and with a 
great anxiety to flee from the place, I said, "Oh! let's 
get away from here quick. I fear that God will smash 
this thing before we can get away" and I ran just as 
fast and as far as I could in a very few moments. The 
doctor didn't say any thing but kept up with me as we 
marked of! a hasty retreat. 

We went to our stopping place, had supper, then 
attended church that night, returned home and retired 
early. 

About seven o'clock in the morning we were sud- 
denly alarmed by ringing of bells, the blowing of whist- 
les, firing of guns and yelling of men and boys as they 
ran from every direction, all going toward the river 
front, on the street we had been on the previous day. 
Doctor jumped up and grabbed his hat saying, "Come 
on Phillips, let's go to the fire ; I guess its a big one 
from the excitement that seems to be among the people." 
Down the steps we went at a few jumps and drifted 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 99 

with the crowd. "Where is the fire?" "What is it?" 
"Down on Ninth and Third Sts., a hotel I think. Oh! 
I just know its the planter's." "No, it's a business 
house." "Well, hurry let's get there quick and see it" 
were some of the expressions we could hear as we hur- 
ried down the avenue. "Oh! is it." "Yes." "What." 
"The Union Trust building. Oh ! my, isn't that awful." 
"Wonder if there was anybody in the building?" Don't 
know." By this time we had turned the corner and 
were on the street that led us right to the place about 
which I had spoken just ten hours before. 

Then somebody said, "its not a fire at all; the old 
bank building has collapsed." 

Imagine if you can the awful look upon that doctor's 
face as we ran up to the place and saw tumbled, twisted, 
piled, packed and standing almost bottom upward in 
that excavation, that entire five story building that only 
a few hours before, stood propped up on the edge of 
that immense hole like an avalanche of snow on a mount- 
ain side. We both stood speechless for several moments 
watching with breathless anxiety the firemen and police 
as they dug and dragged away the debris, trying to res- 
cue from beneath this heap of wreck and ruin the bodies 
of twelve or fifteen unfortunate men, who happened to 
be inside the building before the crash came. 

Several minutes we stood and looked on, wondering 
if it were possible for a man to be rescued alive from 
the pile of broken timbers, twisted piping, shattered glass, 
crushed bricks and broken furniture. 

Finally the doctor turned to me and in rather a sub- 



100 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

dued voice said, "Oh ! Brother Phillips had you forgot- 
ten your prophecy about this yesterday afternoon/' 
"Forgotten it? most assuredly not." 

There was never seen in Memphis a more exciting 
thing than was witnessed there that morning as they 
would pull from beneath the wreckage a man; many 
times the crowd could not tell whether he was dead or 
alive, but as soon as the victim reached any height a 
shout of victory went up that was heard for blocks 
away. 

Never will I forget that day's experience and the 
fortelling of that sad catastrophe. 

RECLAMATION OF A PREACHER. 

In our union tent meeting in (Southern Missouri sev- 
eral years ago we had a peculiar experience in dealing 
with a man who had once been a minister. During the 
meeting there was an excursion down to Eureka Springs 
to attend a celebration and hear W. J. Bryan in his 
famous oration "The Prince of Peace." 

There were many who went from the little city in 
which the meeting was being conducted. Among the 
number was one of the workers in the meeting. His 
attention was called several times to an over bearing, 
boisterous fellow, who seemed to take a special delight 
in wagging at the porter and "news butch," and making 
it as unpleasant for them as possible. He finally turned 
his attention to a young man, or boy rather, who had 
recently been converted in the meeting. Having been a 
preacher he showed that he was fairly well versed in 



„ DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 101 

the scriptures. Therefore he made it very embarrassing 
to the young fellow by propounding knotty questions 
to him. Then asked him to prove that there was a hell? 

When the train reached Seligman, Mo., where the 
party changed cars for Eureka Springs, this brave back- 
slidden preacher turned his gun on the young man who 
was assisting in the meeting. Then another gun was 
turned loose. The worker stood him as long as he could, 
then braced himself up, looked him straight in the face 
and said: "I have been watching you and listening to 
you ever since we left the station. I heard the profound 
question you put to that boy to prove to you there was 
a hell. Now, I want to say this to you, the Bible says, 
'And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones 
that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone 
were hanged about his neck and he were cast into the 
sea.' Mark 9 :41. Furthermore I had rather be that boy 
and have his chances for heaven, than to be like you, 
on your way to hell and trying to carry everybody with 
you that you can." That was the last of him that day. 
When the crowd returned from that excursion, the meet- 
ing was still in progress, and was sweeping the town. 
The backslidden preacher came out that night to see 
what was doing, seemed rather reckless thru the service, 
and at the close he went to the singer and said, "I have 
been feeling mighty bad all day, and am sorry the way 
I did yesterday ;I want you preachers to come to my 
house tomorrow night for supper, I want you to pray 
for me and help me out of my difficulties." 

They went, had supper with him, then talked awhile, 



102 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

read the Bible, had prayer with him, and left. He 
promised he would come that night to the altar and 
try to settle the matter of his soul's salvation. Sure 
enough he came, and after some instructions and prayers 
he came out clear on the Lord's side, and made a fine 
worker in the meeting. His little wife who had been 
almost grieved to death on account of his dissipated 
life, was now all sunshine and happiness, and never 
ceased to thank the Lord for what He did for their 
little family. 

A few months after this one of the evangelists met him 
in St. Louis. They passed a few words, then he ex- 
cused himself and went away. The evangelist felt sure 
the poor fellow had fallen again and that his presence 
was uncomfortable to him ; this he supposed accounted, 
for his quick leave. However, before he left the evan- 
gelist, he said to him, "There will be a service over 
there at the railroad Y. M. C. A. in a few moments; 
wont you come over?" The evangelist promised him 
that he would but expected that would be the end of 
it and he would not see him again. He walked over to 
the Y. M. C. A. after a bit and his friend was the first 
one to greet him, much to his surprise and with some 
shame for having so little confidence in one of his own 
converts. "I have just made arrangements with the 
secretary for you to sing for us tonight," said he and 
the boys want you to sing the "Railroad song." He 
sang for them. Had a fine service, at the close of which 
the secretary called up the new convert to lead in prayer. 
He prayed and such a* prayer was seldom ever heard 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 103 

to fall from the lips of man. When last heard from, he 
was preaching the gospel a»nd leading others to Christ. 

"I AM NOT GOING TO THAT ALTAR." 

When a young man of about twenty-one or two years 
of age, and struggling along in school, trying to get an 
education, there came an old Phrenologist to our town. 
He was giving demonstration of his powers and telling 
the young men of the pent-up possibilities that lay dor- 
mant beneath the old jeans coat that covered his pointed 
shoulders. I, with some of my school-boy friends, went 
down to have, as we termed it, our fortunes and misfor- 
tune told. 

Really, I hesitated before I would go, but when I 
ventured to go, there were some things I was afraid 
the old man would guess at, or accidently tell that I 
didn't want the world nor my best friends to know, 
most of which, however, the old gentleman told, refus- 
ing however to tell it to my school friends, but told it 
to myself and one other man who happened to be in 
the hotel at that time. This man watched me from 
that day till the day of his conversion. 

The one thing that the fortune teller told that was 
not desired nor appreciated by this writer, was the fact 
that some day he would be a great preacher, and would 
lead hundreds and thousands to Christ, the very thing 
I had been fighting all my life, and never wanted to 
do. I almost made up my mind that I would die before 
I would do it. 



104 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

Ten years rolled by. I went away to college, then, 
after leaving school drifted into evangelistic work after 
many hard struggles and blue days. From the start the 
work was always successful and we held many great 
meetings in our own state before drifting north. In 
the mean time I was married to a very fine christian 
woman, who has been greatly blest in the work with me. 
We were invited back to our old home town in Ne- 
vada, Texas, to assist the pastor in a revival meeting. 
The three young men who were to do the preaching 
had been converted in a meeting conducted by E. G. 
Kilgore of Miss., and myself eight years previous to 
this. 

The work progressed splendidly. Most of the con- 
verts were hardened old men and were reached by per- 
sonal work. One day my friend, Dr. Pardue, said to 
our old sinner friend, who had been watching me since 
the day I had my fortune told in the hotel, "Say, Mr. 
Harris come go up to the tent with me tonight, we are 
having a fine meeting. I know you will want to see 
Ed, and hear him sing." "Yes I'd like to hear him sing, 
but I don't want to see him. If I were to go up there 
he would be on me like a duck on a June bug and I 
couldn't stand that." He insisted, and our friend came 
to the meeting I saw him as he sat against a tent pole 
at the back side of the tent. 

When a good chance presented itself for me to leave 
the choir I did so, went down to my friend and took 
him by the hand saying, "Come on, Mr. Harris, you 
have been serving the devil long enough. Let's quit to- 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 105 

night." With that he put his big hands upon my should- 
ers and gave me a shove that landed me ten feet away 
on the other side of the tent. This did not deter me one 
second in my determination. I simply arose and made 
for him again, smiling, talking and almost crying, "Oh 
you can knock me down, but I'll get up and try it again." 
By this time he saw that I was determined. He still 
resisted, however, declaring he would never go. Finally 
his wife and two married daughters came, the wife said, 
"Come on, pa, and let's go up with Mr. Ed, it wont do 
you any harm." Then the daughters began to weep. 
One of them reminded him of how he had a short time 
before promised his other married daughter upon her 
death bed that he would quit his sinful life and meet her 
in heaven. When he was reminded of his solemn promise 
to his dying child, that was too much for him. He broke 
down and began to weep too; I said, "Come on Mr. 
Harris and let's go now, I'll go with you." "No," said 
he, "I am no invalid I can go alone." But he didn't. 
He lead the way followed by his wife and the two young 
married daughters, myself bringing up the rear. When 
I got them all lined up and strung up the aisle, I yelled 
an "Amen" to keep him going, that would have done 
credit to a Comanche Indian. He dropped down upon 
his knees at the first opportunity, surrounded by his 
wife and children and I got on top of him to hold him 
down while the pastor prayed for him. 

He left meeting that night a changed man. I asked 
the president of the bank there later how my friend was. 
He said, "Phillips, that man has never been heard to 
utter an cath since that night." 



106 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

(Since then he has built and dedicated to his people 
a beautiful little church, as a monument of his gener- 
osity to Christianity. 

"JEMINY DO." 
THE CONFESSIONS OF A BLACKSMITH. 

In a Southwest Missouri town late in the fall, Jno. 
E. Brown and I were holding a union tent meeting. The 
pastors of the churches were all working together for the 
salvation of souls. Brown had been scorching parents 
who would let their children dance. There was a father 
in the town who would give dances at his home, play 
the fiddle himself and make his daughters dance. So 
this little, Brown, evangelist, said a few little things about 
like this : "A daddy like that was not fit to raise pups, 
much less children." The infuriated old gentleman sent 
the preacher word that he would whip him at sight. He 
came to the meeting the next night, took his stand, or 
lean, against one of the tent poles near the altar. Some 
of the people really were uneasy about the little preacher; 
thought he was surely in for trouble that night. 

Brown got up, and in his usual fearless firey way 
began preaching and said things unlawful for me to 
write, for decent people to read. Our man against the 
tent-pole began sliding down toward the ground, back 
against the pole. He slid until he struck mother earth, 
and could go no further. Then he tumbled over, began 
weeping and praying. One of the pastors went to him 
and assisted him to the altar and asked me to talk to the 
convicted man. I dropped down in front of him, altar 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 107 

between us, and took him by the hand and said : "Glad 
to see you here, old fellow and you are in an awful fix. 
You are almost in hell. The devil has almost got his 
hands on you now and you have got to pray and pray 
hard and long and fast and lots of it." With that very 
mild instruction, he began and I can not soon forget how 
he prayed, and what he said. It ran something like 
this: "Oh, Lord have mercy on me, for I am the meanest 
man in old Missouri. Lord have mercy on me! Lord 
have mercy on me ! Oh, Lord have mercy on me, Jeminy 
do, quick." As he said that he straightened up on his 
knees and smote upon his breast and gave me such a 
pitiful look saying, "Oh preacher, what must I do." 
"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ." "I do, I do." He 
jumped to his feet and the first man he got hold of was 
Brown, and he almost hugged him to death before we 
could get him loose. The very man he come to lick, 
when he got religion, he loved more than any other. 
When Christ comes in, hate goes out. 

BROKE HIS FATHER OF "CUSSING." 

A few summers ago we were holding a union tent 
meeting in a little city out on the Ft. Worth and Denver 
R. R. between Ft. Worth and Amorillo, Texas. One 
morning as I'was walking down the street a gentleman 
whom I had met and become rather familiar with, called 
to me and said, "Come by, I want to tell you something." 
The evangelist had preached the night before on swear- 
ing. This father said, "I want to tell you how my little 
boy broke me from 'cussinV 



108 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

"It was this way; my little boy was out in the lot 
playing around around among the calves and pigs. Some- 
thing went wrong and he fired in to swearing and he 
fairly made the air blue. 'Such terrifn^c oaths seemed 
almost impossible to come from such youthful lips. His 
mother happened to be near and heard him ; she pro- 
ceeded to gather some very excellent peach tree sprouts 
and called the young Texan to her and delivered to him 
a very telling lecture on swearing, told him the awful sin 
it was to take God's name in vain and that nobody only 
bad and low down people would do the like. She said, 
"Take off your coat, I'll have to chastise you for this." 
He straightened himself up and looked her in the face 
and said, "Well, I guess your dear sweet Mr. Harl 
does it." She stopped, her hand fell paralyzed at her 
side. She could not strike him one blow. He had 
learned it from his daddy and was just "following in his 
footsteps." The father told me this incident after he 
had made a profession of religion. Between sobs and 
tears he said, "Oh, Bro. Phillips, I quit, of course I 
quit, but it was too late; the boy had formed the habit, 
and now I am responsible for it." Moral : we had better 
look well to our influence, for whatsoever we sow, we 
shall also reap. 

HIS EVENING PRAYER.' 

I landed in Muskogee, I. T. It was then one hot 
summer day about six p. m. The town was full to over- 
flowing with all kinds of people; it was when the town 
was on a great boom, just before the state was admitted 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 109 

into the Union. It seemed to be a mixture of all classes 
from the common Indian and negro, to the Eastern 
Capitalist and the high toned, educated Cherokee Indian. 

My general opinion of the territory, at best, was not 
very good. My wife's father was killed while on duty 
as a United States marshal, by a couple of desperadoes. 
A young lady who boarded with us, was attacked by a 
common loafer on the streets of Vinita just previous to 
this time; also an Indian girl school-teacher boarded 
with us at Siloam Springs, who had many stories of des- 
perate and daring deeds done by the people of her com- 
munity around Muskogee and Tahlequah. Knowing all 
these things, and seeing the loose wild and wicked ways 
of the town that afternoon, almost drove sleep from my 
restless eyes, for one night at least till twelve o'clock. 

The hotels were full. I could not get a room, yet I 
was tired and worn from a long hard line of work in 
Texas. I went to a rooming house and restaurant com- 
bined. I asked the proprietor if I could get a room or 
at least a bed. Yes, I guess so, I have one room left 
with two beds in it. "All right," said I, "I'll take one 
of the beds, and hope you won't have to put any body 
else in the room, as I'm tired and nervous." "Oh you 
need not fear I'll put one there, will have a dozen more 
calls for rooms than I can supply." I went into the 
restaurant and ate a small supper. As I came out I 
heard the proprietor say, "Yes, I have just one more 
bed, in a double room and the other bed has been taken." 
I stepped up and said, "What is that, are you going to 
put another man in the room with me?" "Guess I'll have 



110 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

to," he said talking to the other fellow, saying, "he's a 
pretty good fellow I think." Well he might have been, 
and was, but I didn't think so then. I sized him up from 
head to foot, but did not like his looks at all. Really 
the more I thought about him the more suspicious he 
apppeared to me. 

I stepped out on the front porch and said to myself, 
"How will I pass this long hot evening until bed time." 
I heard the Salvation Army out on the avenue; I could 
not see any thing but my suspicious looking room mate. 
Finally, after trying different kinds of proceedure, to 
while away time, I decided to go to bed, and risk being 
robbed, killed, or dying from fright. At about nine- 
thirty I turned in, and over, around and about in every 
conceivable position, trying to sleep. But it had all 
flown like a South Texas snow storm beneath a warm 
sunshine. I decided at last about eleven thirty that my 
room mate was not coming. So sure now I'll sleep. But 
I didn't. About twelve o'clock he came stamping up 
the long carpetless steps, and down a blank bare hall. 
He reached the door, turned the bolt and came plodding 
in. I aroused from my unpleasant pretending slumber 
somewhat surprised to know that he hadn't been in bed 
hours before, (knowing very well tho, that he hadn't.) 

Before retiring now, mind you, I took special care 
to put my pocket book under my trousers, well folded, 
turned the sheet over them and placed my pillow over 
this. Thinking in my imaginative mind that if he got 
my money he would have to get me first. But few 
words passed between us. I was not hunting new ac- 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 111 

quaintances just then. But how I watched him. He 
locked the door, then my heart went pat, pat. He even 
pulled down the blinds very low. Then my heart went, 
pitty pat. Then he looked at me, then at the gas lights, 
my heart went pitty patty, pitty patty. He stepped back 
to be sure the door was secure, and then he started back 
toward my bed I thought, my heart would jump out at 
my mouth and run down .stairs and I wished that it 
would if I could have followed it. When he returned 
he pulled the window down lower. Now said I, "My 
time has come, he intends to kill me now," And I was 
actually at the point of screaming, and jumping out of 
my bed. Just about the time he had worked me up to 
'the highest possible pitch, never saying a word all this 
time, he coolly and quietly stepped up to his bedside 
and dropped down upon his knees to say his little even- 
ing prayers. 

You talk about shouting. I thought I'd explode. I 
Could scarcely wait till he finished. As soon as he arose I 
said, "Well God bless you!" Do you know you like to 
have frightened me to death. I am glad you did that, I 
can go to sleep now myself." Then he came over to my 
bed and laid down with me and told how his father had 
been a missionary to the Indians in that country in an 
early day, and how his mother taught him when a boy 
never to retire without saying his little prayer. This, he 
said, he had never failed to do once since he had reached 
manhood. It turned out that I knew many of his friends 
in my home state, and we spent much of the night in a 
most enjoyable conversation. 



112 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 



The experience through which I passed from one 
extreme feeling of fright, to one of perfect delight can 
never be imagined nor told. It can only be realized by 
actual experience; the first part of which I hope you 
shall never have. It was imaginary of course, but I am 
only the wiser by having had it. 

CONVERSION OF J. E. SMITH AND THE 
BURNING OF HIS POOL HALL OUTFIT. 

In our recent meeting in Wellington, Texas, I had 
the pleasure of landing one of the biggest "Mud Cats" 
of the season. 

About the second week of the meeting, a man came 
forward one night and knelt for prayer. He looked so 
troubled and restless I followed him back to his seat after 
prayer was over and asked him if I could help him in any 
way. He said "I certainly need help and if you can do 
anything for me I will appreciate it." 

I assured him if he would come to the altar and con- 
fess, that the Lord would most certainly save him. For 
several days he would not come to the altar as there was 
a man who was a member of the church with whom he 
had had a difficulty and he felt sure he could not forgive 
him. I finally succeeded in getting them together and 
they shook hands, and forgave each other. 

Mr. Smith then went to work in the meeting and 
made a faithful worker and led seven to Christ. He 
finally got under great conviction about what disposition 
to make of his pool-hall. I said to him "Turn the keys 
over to me and let me stick a match to the thing and 
burn it." He looked at me and said, "Do you mean it." 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 113 

"Of course I mean it." He smiled and said, "Well, I'll see." 
At the men's meeting Sunday afternoon, we started 
a subscription to buy the outfit and burn it. We raised 
$450 ; the first cost of the hall was $1,200. He sacrificed 
it and let us take it at $750. Monday morning at the 
farewell service under the big tabernacle, while the tide 
was rising higher and higher, the superintendent of the 
High school slipped up to me and said, "Phillips, we 
must not let this meeting close till we burn that pool- 
hall." So he started the collection with ten dollars ; then 
I took the list and saw we needed about $300 more. In 
ten minutes I raised the full amount and announced that 
at 11 :30 we would touch off the fire. 

It took only about twenty minutes to load it on some 
farm wagons standing on the square and haul them to 
a convenient place, where about fifteen hundred people 
had gathered, and then we pronounced a blessing upon 
the work and the man who was saved from the hell- 
hole, touched a match to the pile of fixtures consisting 
of five pool tables and their attachments, then while it 
went up in flames we sang "There's a Great Day Com- 
ing," and the leader said, "Yes, and the fire will be much 
hotter than this, too." 

CHAPMAN-ALEXANDER MEETINGS. 

Since the first report of our work here in this great 
city the interest has grown to such an extent that one 
can scarcely think that so much good could be accom- 
plished, and such a wide spread interest be manifested 
so soon. 

The climax was reached last Saturday night when 



114 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

eight thousand people assembled in the magnificent music 
hall for a "Gospel song" concert, the like of which was 
never seen before and is seldom seen in a life time. The 
doors were to have been opened at 7 :00 o'clock. By 
6:30 the streets were filled by an enthusiastic crowd, 
thinking to gain entrance. By seven the streets were 
were packed for two blocks up either side of the immense 
building, and they were not boisterous, but stood quietly 
and reverently singing, "Nearer My God to Thee," and 
"It is Well With My /Soul." 

When the doors were opened at 7 :00 o'clock the grand 
rush was made for good seats. 

By 7 :30 almost every available seat in the great Audi- 
torium was occupied. There were four galleries above 
the first floor; these filled with elegantly dressed ladies 
and gentlemen and beautifully lighted with hundreds of 
electric lights made the scene absolutely indescribable. 
The choir was back on an elevated platform on the stage, 
seating more than 1000. Mr. Chas. Alexander stood in 
front on a pedestal raised five feet high for the special 
occasion. Imagine, if you can, what a storm of praise went 
up as the 8000 people sang, "Nearer My God to Thee." 

The ladies were seated to the right and left ; the gen- 
tlemen sat in the center. The picture blending of black 
and white dress, made the effect delightful to look upon. 
All the ladies were dressed in white. One Southern 
gentleman said, "It looked like a Georgia plantation of 
cotton, with the heads of the little pickaninnies sticking 
up above the stalks. 

Many new songs were sung, but the old songs seemed 
to prevail. 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 115 

Mr. Law and myself were privileged t® fee seated 
on the front of the stage among the leading evangelists 
of the age, as also the best gospel singers of the world, 
such as Chas. Alexander, Jno. P. Hillis, Paul G. Gilbert, 
Mr. Harkness of Australia, Mr. Collison of London, Mr. 
Page of Chicago and, just think, Mr. Ed G. Phillips, 
from dear old Arkansas. And actually one lady asked 
where that place was located. I told her it was on the 
map of the United States. 

SUNDAY MIDNIGHT THEATER SERVICE. 

Editor Revival : — My friends in the West will be 
surprised, I am sure, to know that I attended a theater 
last Sunday night from eleven to twelve o'clock. I am 
not ashamed to tell you that I did. But listen! of all the 
sights that a man need not want to see, can be seen 
here at about 12 o'clock any night. After our services 
closed at the Churches we took a gospel skirmishing 
tour through the red-light district and China-town to 
the Bijou theater. Along the way we passed men and 
women standing on the corners drinking, swearing and 
smoking and rather sly about it, as the Cops were lined 
up along the way. 

We reached the theater at 11 :15. Mr. and Mrs. Asher, 
the Saloon Evangelists, were just closing their service. 
Mrs. Asher was singing and pleading to the young men 
to quit sin, write a letter to mother, and tell her that 
her wayward boy was coming home. As we entered by 
a side door to reach the stage we passed into a small 
room and in this room we found a sight never to be 



116 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

forgotten, and one not usually expected behind the cur- 
tains. A dozen or more men and women on their knees, 
praying- and weeping, with some Christian man or 
woman by the side of each one, trying to point him to 
the Savior. As they would stand for prayer in the main 
Auditorium, a worker would grab them by the arm and 
lead them to the inquiry room behind the curtains 
and try to save them from sin. We remained until ex- 
actly 12 o'clock with Mr. Buswell, of the North Woods 
lumber camps. He preached to something like 1,300 
men who had seen sin in all its hideous hellishness and 
had gone thru it all; about one hundred of these men 
stood for prayer while Mr. Weaver and myself sang, 
"Tell Mother I'll be There." At the close many were 
led into a definite acceptance of Christ. I hope they 
were saved. 

I am more than convinced now, as long ago, that 
there is something for every church member to do besides 
sit and sing, "Rescue the Perishing." Bless your life, 
the thing to do, is "Do It Now." There are hundreds 
being saved daily and the end is not yet, Praise the Lord. 

A CHANGE WROUGHT BY GALVESTON FLOOD. 

In a low dive in the rear of a saloon in Galveston, 
seated around a dirty gambling table, we see six tough- 
looking men. Each has his hand upon the table in front 
of him covering his money, while with the other he 
conceals the hand upon which his money is staked. One 
man, the youngest and perhaps the most daring, full to 
the brim, calls the game. A dispute arises, guns are 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 117 

drawn, and in the twinkling of an eye the click of a pistol 
is heard. The lights are blown out, the table upturned 
and the shooting quickly begins. The police ran to the 
front door, and thru to the back room, where the shoot- 
ing had occurred. Before they reached the room, how- 
ever, a "pal" of short acquaintance stumbled and felt 
around in the darkened dive and found the young cour- 
ageous sport. This "pal" dragged him to a workshop, 
which was nearby, pushed open the door, pulled him in 
and laid him on the work-bench to sober up. He then 
closed the door and went his way. 

About ten o'clock the next day he went around to see 
what had happened to his unfortunate fast friend. He 
opened the old shop door and peeped in. There on the 
shavings lay the once flattering prospects of a devoted 
mother, all besotted and debauched in sin and disgrace 
— a sight that was enough to make angels weep and 
devils blush. His friend picked him up, brushed the 
shavings off, took him to the hotel and put him to bed, 
telling him to let him hear from him when he recovered. 

It was only a few weeks till that awful Galveston 
cyclone came, which swept the city from its sandy foun- 
dation, when thousands were hurled into the great beyond 
without a moment's warning. Each of these poor un- 
fortunate gamblers supposed that the other was lost, 
tho they both providentially withstood the storm. But 
for years each did not know of the escape of the other, 
not until the writer of this story happened to learn the 
history of the two men, who are to day living and doing 
a wonderful work for God and humanity. 



118 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

"I thought you were coming to the meeting last 
night." 

"Yes, I did promise you I'd come, but I went down 
town and got into a game and forgot all about it." 

"Now, look here, old fellow, don't you lie to me. You 
didn't forget it, for I am still praying for you." 

"Yes, I told my wife last night I guessed that fool 
singer is praying for me, for I can't sleep." 

"Well, you are coming tonight aren't you?" 

"Say, didn't you tell me you were from Texas?" 

"Yes." 
"Ever at Galveston?" 
"Yes." 

"Well it is a great old hole. I've seen some tough 
times there. Say, did you know that fellow Hemphill 
who used to go around and sing in meetings?" 

"Yes." 

"Do you sing that song that he used to sing? Some- 
thing about 'Now I Lay Me Down to /Sleep.'?" 

"Yes, I sing it." 

"Well if you'll sing it tonight I'll be there. My 
mother was a mighty good woman and she taught me 
that little prayer." 

"Alright, I'll sing it if you'll come." 

The devil got in his work and he didn't come in time 
for the singing. He had a quarrel with his wife and told 
her to go the d'md old meeting if she wanted to, he 
wouldn't have anything to do with it. He grabbed his 
hat and lit out to town as usual. When he got there 
every house was closed and the merchants all gone to the 
meeting. He hung around on the street and pouted, 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 119 

felt mean, and finally got ashamed of himself and went 
sneaking up to the church, slipped in, took his stand be- 
hind the door, so he would not be seen by the worker 
who was after him. 

When the altar call was made, the worker went down 
and took the man by the hand and said to him : 

"I sang the song for you; how did you like it?" 

'Well, to tell you the truth, I did not hear it. I just 
got in. Please go off and let me be, for I am the mean- 
est man in Iowa. I had a fuss with my wife and went 
down town; didn't aim to come to church, but had to or 
freeze and as that is my name I didn't want to be a frozen 
Freeze. I'm mad, let me alone." 

"Let you alone ! I'll do nothing of the kind. If you 
will go to the altar and confess your sins and get right 
with your wife and God, then I'll let you alone." 

He went to the altar, surrendered to God and was 
wonderfully saved. There was rejoicing in that home 
in Sumner, Iowa, that night. 

About the same time Mr. Fife was holding a meeting 
in an opera house down in Texas, run by that dashing 
young sport who was supposed by his Iowa friend to have 
been lost in the Galveston flood. 

Mr. Fife was pleading with men one night to for- 
sake sin and come to Christ. Some kind hand tapped the 
manager of the opera house on the shoulder and said : 

"Old man, won't you make the decision for Christ 
tonight?" 

As quick as lightning he said, "I'll do it." 

Down to the front he went, was saved, turned the 



120 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

opera house into a Y. M. C. A. building and in a few 
days was on his way to Chicago to enter the Moody 
school to prepare for his life work, that of saving souls. 

I was also there and became associated with him in 
the work of leading men to Christ, preaching and sing- 
ing the glorious Gospel that brings peace to the human 
heart. 

Recently Evangelist Brown was conducting meetings 
in Washington, D. C, and it was his delightful pleasure 
to meet our friend Mr. Freeze, who was saved several 
years ago in our revival at Sumner, Iowa, He was 
one of the best workers in the meeting in Washington, 
D. C, and was very appreciative of the work and work- 
ers who had led him into the way. 

"What have you done with the 'Diamond Digger?' " 

"Oh, he is out in the west still singing and digging 
diamonds. He is laboring with Evangelist Doolin." 

"Who?" 

"Evangelist Doolin." 

"What, Bill Doolin?" 

"Yes." 

"No. You dont mean it." 

"Yes." 

"Well if that don't set your cork to bobbin'. The 
last time I saw him he didn't look much like a preacher 
to me." 

Then he related the story here told of how they used 
to go sporting together down in Galveston and how 
they promised the Lord that if He would let them escape 
from the cyclone they would live differently after that. 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 121 

They made good their promise and are today earnest 
Christian gentlemen, striving to warn the unsaved of 
the dangers of a sinful life. 

This incident has come under my own personal ex- 
perience and is, therefore, perhaps, of more interest to 
me than it may be to the casual reader. 

SUNDAY AT JOHN WANAMAKER'S CHURCH. 

Prof. B. F. Butts, of New York City, asked me to go 
down to the Brotherhood meeting at nine o'clock. We 
boarded the car and landed there just in time to be in a 
red-hot testimony meeting. If I had not known I was in 
Philadelphia I would have felt like I was at an old time 
Methodist love feast, away down South. The meeting 
was one in which everybody took part. Mr. Wanamaker 
led the service, and he made every one feel at home. 
There were perhaps 300 men there and one woman, who 
came 52 squares to attend this service. She had been 
converted in Mr. Wanamaker's Sunday 'School when a 
girl some 30 years before. She was afterward married 
to a man who took to drink. For twenty years he lead 
a most reckless life, was everything that a man could be 
that was bad. He was just getting over a drunken 
spree when his wife prevailed on him to go to a revival 
service. He drank something like a quart of liquor 
during the day and at 6 o'clock drank a quart of vinegar 
as a bracer then went to the meeting. He was wonder- 
fully and miraculously saved, and is now a sober success- 
ful man. 

At exactly eleven we went from the basement to 



122 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

the main auditorium to attend the preaching. There 
was nothing of the ordinary formal "mull around a mill" 
way of doing things. The service was great, grand and 
good ; they sang the old-time songs. There were four 
choirs beside the large congregation — the regular choir 
of 150, the boys choir of 200, the girls with 250 and the 
grown men with perhaps 150, each choir in separate 
sections. Well, it was heaven to me. The old lady, of 
whom I just spoke, that attended the men's meeting, was 
ushered up to the main auditorium, and seated in the 
front pew, with as much dignity and pleasure as if she 
had been a queen. Her costume was enough to make 
our home people laugh. She was large and fat, very 
short, and a short dress, and a short tailed old fashioned 
quaker bonnet, made the dear sister a sight to behold 
but no one seemed to notice that. 

This church has been doing this kind of work among 
the common people for fifty years. A good lesson might 
be learned here by some of our would-be stylish churches. 

Mr. Wanamaker leaves home at nine in the morning 
and stays at that church till ten at night. Yet, he is 
seventy years of age. They take dinner together, and 
eat in the basement, and keep some kind of a meeting 
going every hour in the day from nine till ten at night. 
Truly it is a wonderful work. 

"YOU TALKED MY RIGHT ARM OFF." 

In a meeting at Claremore, Okla., I walked back in the 
tent one night and spoke to a man about his soul. He 
seemed quite anxious to talk and I dropped down by 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 123 

his side when they were called to prayer. The prayer 
was over and the singing began. He was getting tired 
of me and insisted that I go up front and lead the music. 
I said, "No, I'll just sing back here to you." They had 
another prayer. When this prayer was ended he was 
so sure I would leave him that he held out his hand and 
thanked me for my interest in him and said, "I am so 
glad I met you. Come back again." Quite sure that 
that would end the conversation I said, "Yes, bless your 
heart, I'm glad, so glad I met you, but I am not gone 
yet." I stayed with him till I got through. I kept this 
up for about two weeks, and finally one night he sur- 
rendered, and was one of the brightest converts in the 
meeting. The first thing Mr. Taylor said in the testi- 
mony meeting was this : "Phillips talked my right arm 
off and I decided to give up before he begun on my 
left." After the meeting he wrote a long article to the 
local paper admonishing his unsaved associates to quit 
sin and go with him to heaven, which many did. I get 
a letter from him occasionally, and the first thing he 
says is, "I'm so glad I met you." 

CONVERSION OF "JUMBO." 
SAW MILL MAN WHO TURNED PREACHER. 

In march of 1902 we were invited to Monona, Iowa, 
to hold a revival in the M. E. church by the pastor, Rev. 
Leamon. The meeting started under many difficulties 
and it was more than a week before the church members 
took much interest in it, tho we continued to pour in 
the hot gospel in sermon and song. Finally the break 



124 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 



came, and many were turned from sin and sorrow to 
sunshine, shouting and singing and were thoroughly 
saved. 

A great deal of the work was accomplished by per- 
sonally dealing with people outside of the meeting. I 
give you here one of three very interesting cases; will 
give the other later. 

One night as I was passing down the aisle I saw a 
very large man. He was under deep conviction and was 
weeping bitterly. I stepped over to him and kindly 
laid my hand upon his shoulder, and asked him if he 
would like to be a christian. He said, no, he had no 
idea of being a christian, and didn't want to be bothered. 
Next day I dropped into a marble or monument work 
shop to speak with some men about their souls. This 
large man, to whom I had spoken the previous evening, 
was in there ; when I stepped in, the owner of the estab- 
lishment said, "Brother Phillips, the man has just been 
laying you boys out, and says you are nothing but a 
set of dudes and came here just to get money." I turned 
to him and looked him squarely in the face and said, 
"Yes, you old rascal you, we did come after money, and 
we will get it, and will get you with the money." As 
I said this I put my arms around himi, as far as they 
would go, and gave him a good hug, and said, "Old 
fellow, I love you and am praying for you and expect 
to see you saved and working in this meeting before it 
comes to a close." For fifteen days and nights the prayers 
and plans to reach that man were many. I would talk 
and pray with him in the meeting one night, then he 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 125 

would stay away the next night and go down town and 
play dominoes and checkers. I would make it convenient 
to see him next day and have a short talk with him, and 
have him promise to come to the meeting that evening. 
He never broke the promise but one time. It got so- 
warm he went out on the river and started his saw mill 
and I followed him out there, about one mile from town, 
and had another heart talk with him. I stood there 
on that river bank and talked to that poor fellow till I 
was chilled through and through when the weather was 
at zero. Never once thought of my exposure, so anxious 
was I to reach my "diamond." He came that night and 
continued to come. I used all the scripture I could com- 
mand, prayed for him, loved him, cried with him, but all 
of no avail so far. Finally Sunday night before the meet- 
ing should close on Monday night, I went to him for the 
last time, as I told him. This was the exact conversation 
as near as I can remember it. I said, "JurnDo, I have 
loved you and associated with you, prayed for you, hug- 
ged you, and given you God's own precious word, and 
done everything in my power and knowledge that I can 
to reach you, and you have laughed at my earnestness, 
criticised my zeal and made light of God's word, and 
now I make my final appeal to you. I never expect to 
speak to you again in this world, nor the world to come. 
There is only one religious road in this world, one end 
leads to heaven, the other to hell. You have no more 
appreciated what I have said and done for you than a 
great big old hog, neither have you appreciated what 
Christ has done for you. I shall never see you nor trouble 



126 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

you again, so goodbye, old fellow." This was too much 
for him. He broke down and cried like a child, and held 
out his hand like an innocent babe and said between 
sobs, "goodbye." His sweet Christian daughter threw 
her arms around his neck and said, "Papa, don't be so 
stubborn, do go forward and give yourself to Christ." 
I left him and went up to the platform and began singing, 
"Almost Persuaded." Before I was through the first 
stanza he was on his knees in the altar. Before I finished 
the second, he was up on his feet praising the Lord and 
shaking hands with his loved ones and friends. He 
gave his name, with eight others of his family, for church 
membership, and from that on had a happy Christian 
family. About a year from then I received a very sweet 
Christian letter from him, saying that we should hurry 
and come back to his northern state to hold more meet- 
ings. That when we came we would not have to spend 
our time in trying to get him saved, but that he was 
ready to help us. He has already been preaching and 
trying to lead men to Christ. Letters from him and 
word from his friends since tell me that he has had many 
trials and troubles, but that he is firm for God and his 
profession. 

These persistent labors have enabled me to receive 
many kind letters from mothers and wives, and the as- 
surance that I have their prayers and "God bless yous" 
as long as life lasts, and the hope of meeting beyqnd 
the river, gives me fresh courage to push ahead. 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 127 

A NEW MAN. 

I wish to thank my many friends for their prayers and 
help in bringing me into the church, and in so doing I 
praise God for the great blessing He has given me, and 
am going to live a better, brighter and more useful life, 
and hope that my being converted will cause hundreds 
of others to take a step nearer to the Lord and be more 
useful in the future. Friends who are still holding back, 
I sincerely ask and advise you to not delay in accepting 
the Lord as your personal Savior, and receive the power 
and the Light of the world, so that you may be more 
useful men and women in this old world. 

The way to show your Christianity is by your good 
works, and as a servant of the Lord you must be useful 
and try to help bring the immortal souls to the altar, 
that they might be saved. Throw out your light so that 
their pathway may be bright and they may find their 
way to that Heavenly home where the title is clear, and 
joy, peace and happiness shall forever be. 

God bless the Christians and the preachers, who plan- 
ned and were so fortunate to get Brother Lovic P. Law 
and wife and his able singer, Professor Phillips, to come 
to Claremore, for by their coming, the good Claremore 
has received could not be paid for in money. A price 
could not be fixed to balance with the good we received. 
God bless the unsaved; guide and direct us; keep us 
closer together and in thy care, and when we have served 
you on this earth receive us all in heaven, is my prayer. 

W. T. Taylor. 



128 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

THERE'LL BE NO CHRISTIANS IN HELL; 

THERE MAY BE A SODA FOUNTAIN 

BUT IT WON'T BE COOL. 

Another hard case in this same meeting mentioned 
above was on my heart. He came to the meeting one 
time and I spoke to him about being a Christian. He 
got mad and would not come back. Every time I met 
him on the street I would treat him kindly and say 
something about religion and ask him to the meeting. 
He had not been to the meeting for ten days. I met 
him one day and said, "I am still praying for you and 
looking for you to come out on the Lord's side." Then 
he fired at me and said, "Go off and let me alone. Every- 
where I go I find Christian workers." 

"You may find them here, but you are going to (a 
place where there will be no Christians, and then you 
would like to meet one." He took the dry grins and tried 
to laugh, but was so convicted he couldn't. He turned 
and followed me, took me by the arm and said, "Let's 
go in here at the soda fountain and get a cool drink." 
"Alright," said I, "and you had better drink a great 
deal for you'll need to get cooled off when you get down 
to hell, for there will be no soda fountains nor cold drinks 
down there." He said, "Don't be too hard on me." We 
had a cold drink and I parted with him, saying, "Are 
you coming to the meeting tonight?" I met the pastor 
on my way home and said, "Old Bill is going to get 
religion tonight;" and he did. When the call was made 
he was among the first to come forward. He was a great 







Dick Carg-yle (see page 190) Billy Downs (see page 139) 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 129 

big chubby Indian. I shall never forget how he dropped 
on his knees and put his elbows on the seat, buried his 
face in his hands and wept and prayed to God to have 
mercy on him. He was soundly converted and united 
with the church and went to work for the Lord, as all 
real converted people will do. 

A LITTLE CHILD SHALL LEAD THEM. 

In a beautiful little town in north Missouri L. P. 
Law and wife and myself and wife went to conduct a 
meeting for the pastor of the Methodist church. 

I really think I was never in a town where there was 
so much infidelty, and where it seemed popular to be an 
infidel. One of the leaders of the infidel club died a few 
months before we went there. Just before he died 
he told his friends to bury him face downward, so that 
when Jesus Christ came after him He could not kiss his 
face. Poor fellow. I don't think he needed to have 
worried. Christ could not reach him there. 

The church for which we held the meeting was com- 
posed of some of the best and most religious people I 
ever met and, strange to say, one of the best women in 
the church, the organist, was the daughter of an infidel. 
Also she had a married brother who was an infidel. We 
were entertained at the home of that good woman. 

From the very first day of the meeting she was much 
concerned about the conversion of her brother, who was 
a leading banker and a prominent citizen and a liberal 
contributor to the church, which made it all the harder 



130 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

to reach him. The church, as a whole, were praying 
for him. 

The husband of the infidel's sister said to me one 
night after we returned home : "I would give fifty dollars 
if Jack would get converted and join the church." Well, 
I had a idea that the Lord was going to help me to reach 
the fellow, for I had talked to him, so to encourage the 
old man I said, "Well, I believe I'll take the job for half 
that." " Alright sir, if you will get Jack converted and 
into the church I'll give you twenty-five dollars after- 
ward." I wished that I had not made the contract for I 
feared the old man would think I was working for the 
money and not his soul. 

The meeting was nearing the end. Our friend had 
shown some interest and was under deep conviction. 
But just when everybody thought he would be saved he 
flew the track and quit the meeting. His wife fasted and 
prayed for forty hours, I believe. When he failed to 
show up at church that night it seemed it would kill his 
wife. She didn't want to leave the church. Said she 
would stay and pray all night to get him saved. 

The fact of the matter was, the man was under such 
deep conviction he was hardly responsible. He went 
to the bank and tried to work on his books, but his 
figures got mixed, his pen wouldn't work, his mind was 
somewhere else. Finally he dropped his work and went 
home real early, and was in bed and apparently asleep. 
It was only a pretense, for little did he sleep that night 
according to his own statement. 

Next morning I stepped into the bank and shook 






DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 131 

hands with him, saying, "We were disappointed at you 
not getting to church last night." "Yes," said he, "I 
was too. I had an awful night, didn't sleep much. I 
wish you'd pray for me." "Pray for you, why I've been 
praying for you for ten days." "Thank you," said he, 
'Til be at church tonight." "And settle the matter, too, 
won't you ?" Don't know about that." 

During the song-service that night he came in and took 
a seat away back near the door. He usually came up 
near the front. 

The sermon by Mr. Law was one of power that sent 
conviction to the hearts of many unsaved people. 

The invitation was given to all who wanted to for- 
sake sin and accept Christ to come down and take the 
front seats. Many came, but our friend refused to move 
a step. The pastor, the evangelist and others went to 
him and begged him to make the surrender, still he 
resisted. 

The evangelist came back and said to the singer, 
"That man is under awful conviction and wants to come, 
but seems afraid." I felt impressed to try him once 
more. Every eye in the house was anxiously watching, 
and many prayers were ascending to the throne in his 
behalf. The suspense was awful, the anxiety greater 
and the general surroundings were indescribable. I laid 
one hand upon his manly shoulder and put the other 
arm around him, got behind him and said, "Now, if you 
don't go I'll pick you up and take you." The man was 
cold and white as he will be when laid out and robed 
for burial. When I said, I'll take you," he smiled and 



132 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

said, "You would have a big load." "Well," said I, "if 
that is the only way to get you saved 1 am perfectly 
willing to undertake to carry you to the altar." 

Just at this juncture his sweet little girl of not more 
than six years of age came slipping up behind him and 
got hold of his left hand and taking him by the first 
and fourth fingers with her left and right hand, looked 
up into his saddened face and said, "Papa, won't you 
come and go to heaven with me and mama?" The man 
broke down and dropped his head over on my shoulder 
and said, "I know I ought to go, but — " Then said J, 
"You have refused the preachers, the workers, your wife 
and your friends. Now, if you refuse that precious littl i 
child of yours, you are a mighty poor daddy." I said, "1 
don't want you to go for me, I will leave you now and 
let that child lead you to Christ." I started and the 
child gave a pull on his finger and said, "Come on, papa, 
let us go too." He said, "Darling I'll go." 

When they started it seemed like folks would go wild. 
Shouting, jumping, clapping of hands and praise to God 
was never heard in that house equal to that before. As 
he dropped on his knees with the child by his side and 
under his arm, with wife and daughter around him, there 
was not much praying done, it was mostly crying, laugh- 
ing and singing. 

In the testimony meeting the next night he stood 
up and thanked God for the light, joy and peace in his 
soul, and for the joy-bells ringing in his heart. He joined 
the church and is still this day a faithful steward trying 
to do his duty. _ 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 133 

And when the offering was taken for the workers, the 
old man lined up with his twenty-five dollars. 60 the 
worker was made glad twice. 

GREAT REVIVAL ENDED SUNDAY NIGHT. 
About 625 Souls Were Saved During the Three Week's 

Meeting. 

NO MORE BOOZE RECEIVED. 

Frederick Cleaned up Religiously and There is Now no 

Discord and Best of Feeling Prevails. 

Sunday evening Rev. Mcintosh, together with Ed 
Phillips and wife, closed what will go down in history 
as the most remarkable revival ever held in southwest 
Oklahoma, and possibly in the entire state of Oklahoma 
in which they were instrumental in leading over 600 
souls to Christ, including a large number who have 
hitherto been considered practically past redemption. 

The meeting began three weeks ago in the new $15, 
000 church building and had hardly been in progress 
twenty-four hours when it was found that it was destined 
to be a genuine revival.- The trio of evangelists have a fac- 
ulty of getting others to work and almost from the start 
the consecrated band of Christian workers, got right 
into the game. The number has been constantly in- 
creasing until at every meeting they could be seen, doing 
effective personal work in all parts of the building. Some 
of the new converts became the most persistent workers 
and it was an inspiration to see with what zeal they 
turned from their former paths of sin, into the glorious 
work of laboring for the Master. Men, who had de- 



134 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

scended to the very depths of sin, entered as heartly into 
the work of leading their former associates forward, as 
did the life-long Christians who had grown old in the 
service. 

The Enterprise has been giving an account of the 
meetings from day to day and nothing has ever been 
published in the local press that began to be as popular 
as have these accounts. Today we are getting out the 
third extra edition during the past week, and phone 
calls have been coming in all day to save from one to a 
couple of dozen for each of the individuals. By means 
of these papers, together with other press notices that 
will be given rearding this grand revival, there will 
hardly be a section of the United States that will be ig- 
norant of the great work that has been brought to a 
close at this place. 

Rev. Phillips is a former newspaper man himself, and 
for some time has been at work compiling material for 
a book t obe known as "Diamonds From The Rough." 
He has already written sixty-five different stories and the 
meeting at Fredrick will furnish him with several more. 
He has also taken a number of photos of Frederick's 
former "Diamonds" which will appear in this book. One 
of these, showing John Waggoner, Bill Downs, Jim 
Brown and some others which will be published in that 
book, is found on the first page of today's Enterprise. 

A week ago Sunday $500 was raised for the evan- 
gelists, while $300 more was raised yesterday. 

The evangelists have given the Enterprise consider- 
able credit for the manner in which it has given these 






DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 135 

meetings publicity, saying it has eclipsed the efforts 
of any of the papers in the towns where they have hereto- 
fore held meetings. Several clippings from the Enter- 
prise will be used in the book, "Diamonds From The 
Rough," which Rev. Phillips expects to publish some 
time later in the year. 

Saturday afternoon's meeting in the Gem theater was 
largely attended by country people and several conver- 
sions made. One of the greatest meetings of the series 
Occured that night when in the neighborhood of fifty 
or more conversions were made. 

At the^ services of the different churches Sunday 
morning many converts united with the various churches 
in the city, and many who have been converted have 
not yet decided on the church of their choice. 

On Friday, 'Saturday and Sunday, a number of prayer 
meetings were held at different homes in and about Fred- 
crick, in which several of the new converts took part 
and several more conversions were thus made. 

Sunday afternoon at 4 o'clock a mass meeting was 
held at the Baptist church, which began with a few 
voluntary testimonials. Miss Anna Boyd, money-order 
clerk at the postoffice, recived quite a round of applause 
when she said: 

/ "Brother Mcintosh, I am glad since this meeting 
began I do not have to make out any more money orders 
to Wichita Falls." Heretofore she has made out a 
number of money-orders each day to the different liquor- 
houses of that city for small consignments of liquor 
sent to different individuals at this place, 



136 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

Sunday night's services were but a repetition of the 
former night's meetings, one of the most beautiful parts 
of the service was the waving of white handkerchiefs by 
hundreds of people in all parts of the large church just 
before closing. There was such a large crowd present 
that Rev. Phillips had to shake hands with those present 
Chinese fashion, by simply waving his hands above his 
head toward them. 

A large crowd gathered at the depot this morning to 
see Rev. Mcintosh off on the Wichita Falls & North- 
western train when he left for his home at Ft. Worth, 
Texas, for a short rest before going to Muskogee. Some 
of the more familiar song were sung and talks made 
by some of the different pastors, followed by a prayer by 
Rev. Mcintosh just before the train pulled out. A pleas- 
ing sight was the large number of "diamonds" which 
helped to make up this joyful crowd. 

Rev. Phillips and wife remained until afternoon when 
they took the 3 :30 train for Muskogee. An even heartier 
demonstration was accorded them, as it being later in 
the day a larger crowd was present. Again songs were 
sung, speeches made and prayers offered. 

As the train was going out of sight around the turn 
north of town, two tiny white specks could be seen mov- 
ing back and forth on the rear of the platform, which 
was Rev. Phillips and his wife waving with their hand- 
kerchiefs a farewell to Frederick. 

THE REVIVAL IS UNIQUE. 

Evangelists Mcltosh and Phillips who have been in 
Fredrick for the past three weeks, have been instrumental 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 137 

in the hands of God of bringing about one of the greatest 
revivals of grace and season of refreshing from the 
presence of the Lord, in the history of our city. The 
revival began in the M. E. church but it soon spread like 
a prairie fire in the native grass, through all the churches 
and people of the town, extending the circle of its in- 
fluence and power into the surrounding country. Truly 
was this revival a revival of the Holy Spirit. Brother 
Mcintosh preached the old doctrines of grace in the 
simplicity of the gospel and the power of the Holy Spirit. 
Brother Phillips sings the gospel with spirit and under- 
standing. He is a great song and chorus leader. God 
has anointed him for song and personal work, for he is 
especially adapted to both. He loves the souls of lost 
men with a passion which they are unable to resist. Mrs. 
Phillips, is a companion to him, not only in the holy 
state of matrimony, but also in that higher estate of 
marriage to Jesus Christ. The language of I Peter 3:3, 
4 is my compliment to her: For her chaste conversa- 
tion, coupled with the reverence of God proves that her 
character is adorned with the hidden man of the heart, 
even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is 
in the sight of God, of great price. She will be loved 
and remembered by the women of Frederick as long as 
they live. These evangelists are loyal workers of Jesus 
Christ, and are absolutely fair to the various churches 
in all their work. I heartly commend them to the love 
and confidence of the brotherhood everywhere. My soul 
is knit to theirs, as David's was to Jonathan's. I must 
say that our fellowship was indeed sweet, for it was 



138 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

with the "Father and his son, Jesus Christ." Over 600 
people took the road to live the gospel of Jesus Christ 
and to return to Zion with songs and everlasting joys 
upon their heads. The greatest joy of my heart in these 
meetings was to see the confession of the pool-hall and 
whiskey men, who, before the meeting, had cursed the 
preachers and threatened to whip them, but now, saved, 
and testifying to the power and love of God and His 
Christ to save. To hold fellowship with these men in 
the salvation of souls, is a joy and rapture that knows no 
bounds. 

Praise God from whom all blessings flow! 

Sherman Moore. 
Baptist Pastor. 

FREDERICK'S REVIVAL. 

'Tis down in Oklahoma 

That Salvation's waves roll strong, 
In the little town of Frederick 

Where with might, things move along. 

And with power, the mighty billows 

Into sin's dark cavern's roll, 
Bringing sinful men conviction, 

Washing white each sin-black soul. 

And by dozens, scores — yea, hundreds, 

Men are turned "'bout face" to God, 
Shown the pathway up to glory, 
Over which the Christ once trod. 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 139 

And the God-trained voice of Phillips 

Oft in sweet melodious song, 
Falls and rises on the billows 

Touching hearts and downing wrong. 

And with words of love and power 

Speaks the Rev. Mcintosh 
Bringing offers of salvation, 

Hearts to save and wrongs to quash. 

Ah, when ended is this meeting, 
And the preacher's voice is still, 

May salvation keep on flowing 
Other hearts with love to fill. 

And when ended is the singing, 
And the sweet-voiced singer gone, 

May each soul prolong the chorus, 
This good work to carry on. 

Now to preacher, singer, player, 

We must sadly say farewell, 
Hoping that we'll meet in glory 

And with God forever dwell. 

W. M. Creveling. 

BILLY DOWNS, THE GAMBLER AND POOL 
HALL PROPRIETOR. 

"Bill, I'll bet you five plunks you han't got the nerve 
to go with me up to the Methodist church tomorrow 
afternoon at 3:30 and hear that guy of a Gospel Pilot 



140 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

dope out the plan of salvation, and way over the great 
divide and up the straight and narrow trail to these 
Oklahoma toughs," said a bystander to one of his friends, 
as a worker handed him a card, inviting him to a service 
for men only at the evangelistic meetings for the fol- 
lowing day. Bill stiffened his backbone, bowed his neck, 
pulled his chin down on his chest, shoved his hands 
deep into his pockets and said, "I'm your man, I'll go 
you one if I lose. Tho' I haven't been to church for years, 
I may not know how to act when we get there, but I go 
or bust." He went, too, and behaved pretty well. But I 
never learned whether the bet was paid or not. This was 
the wager between two of the famous converts recently 
made at Fredrick, Okla., in the Mcintosh-Phillips meet- 
ings. 

On Sunday afternoon, several minutes before the 
crowd had assembled, in came Bill and Jim, with all the 
air of a bluffer, and dare-devil. The usher took in the 
situation, and pushed them down near the front, seated 
them in the second pew, and looked at the Evangelist 
and winked and pointed them out as if to say, "there 
they are, go after them." Then the dear little pastor 
almost collapsed when he slipped around behind the 
organ and punched the singer and said, "There they are — 
two of the toughest toughs and biggest gamblers in town. 
That fat fellow, Bill Downs is a scrapper, too, Phillips, 
and you better be careful." "Ah," said I, "God bless that 
fellow, he's the kind I like I'll land him for the Lord be- 
fore this meeting closes." The service began by singing 
some of the old time songs. The leader said, "Now men, 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 141 

I want you to join in and help me sing this good old 
song that we used to sing when we were boys back on 
the farm with mother and the children." Then they sang 
in a clear strong voice, "Sweet Bye and Bye." When 
the song ended, Bill and Jim had become calm and seemed 
anxious to hear more. The Evangelist said, "Now 
Brother Phillips will sing his 'Round Up 5 song, dedicated 
to the cowboys of Texas and Oklahoma." I arose and 
told a story of how I had sung this song last year over 
in Texas and had reached one of the hardest men in the 
State, and how when he was converted he burned his 
big pool hall, costing about twelve hundred " dollars, 
joined the church, and was now a fine Christian gentle- 
man. This story seemed to catch Bill, as he was then 
running a pool hall with nine tables in it. The sermon 
ended, the call was made, some few men were saved. 
Nothing could be done to move these two men. I was on 
the street one morning and some one said, "Phillips, 
there's Downs, go after him." So I stepped out on the 
street and began talking to him. Pretty soon, Brown and 
another man came up. Then we had a good warm friendly 
talk. I promised them I would pray for them and told 
them of men whom I thought were much worse than 
they who had been saved and were now preaching the 
Gospel. When we parted I said, "Men if you will come 
to the meeting and get saved I will be willing to take my 
grip in my hands and walk every step of the way back to 
Oklahoma City." One of the men laughed and said : "Oh, 
that would be too bad ; if I get converted I will be willing 
to pay your way, myself." So he was wonderfully con- 



142 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

verted, and more than paid my fare back to the city. 
Billie came down Wednesday night to the meeting and 
went forward for prayer. I saw he was in dead earnest, 
though he would not stay for prayer. When the service 
was over I slipped down to him and asked if he would 
standi for me to hold a prayer meeting in his pool hall 
next day. He said, "Yes, I can stand it, come on." "Do 
you really want it? I may make it hot for you." "Yes, 
I want it. Come on." We announced it. The next day 
as I turned the corner and started down to his place, 
men could be seen coming from every direction. The 
service was great; at the close about forty men came 
down for prayer. Billie led the crowd, with tears in his 
eyes as he gave me his hand, he said: "Yes, I want to 
be a better man, pray for me." In the next service he 
was saved, and when he did settle it, there was some- 
thing doing in Frederick, that night. The pool hall was 
closed next day and will never be opened again by Billie 
Downs. Then he said to his son, "Perry I have decided 
to close the pool hall, what do you think about it?" He 
looked at him a moment and said, "That's what I have 
wanted you to do for three years, I am glad for it to be 
closed forever." And it was. Billie Downs then got into 
an auto and went into the country with one of the pastors 
that he had threatened to whip just a few weeks previous 
to the meeting, and helped to lead a number of people 
to Christ. The last day I spent in the town, I was in the 
streets most of the time, talking, preaching, and en- 
couraging the new converts. When I sat down to have 
a farewell chat with Billie, he laid his hand on mine and 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 143 

looked me in the face and said, "I could have closed out 
my business last year for five thousand dollars. Don't 
know now that I can get five hundred, but thank the Lord 
I have got Salvation and I would not take ten times the 
price of the pool hall for what I have in my heart today." 
He turned and said to me as I wks saying my last good- 
bye, "Bro. Phillips, I had to take sixteen drinks to fill me 
up to face you on the first day I went to the meeting; now, 
for ten days I haven't touched a drop and I am a little 
nervous from the effect, but praise the Lord I know He 
can hold me fast." Then I took him by the hand and said, 
"Billie, old fellow, this is enough to pay me for all my 
life's work and if I never see you again I'll meet you 
over yonder." The whistle blew, the bell rang, the train 
moved slowly away from the Frisco station while the 
people sang "I will meet you there" and waved their 
white handkerchiefs to a couple of the happiest people 
that ever left an Oklahoma town. The last thing that we 
heard as the train rounded the curve and passed out of 
sight was, "We will never say good bye in heaven." 

RESCUED FROM RUIN BY A SONG. 

I landed in a Southern Arkansas town a few years 
ago to hold a meeting. I went to the parsonage to meet 
the pastor. He was not at home. When I made inquiry 
as to his whereabouts, imagine my surprise when the 
servant girl informed me that he was down town attend- 
ing the street parade of Lemon Bros', circus. After 
much searching and diligent inquiry I located the dear 
pastor. Then I told him I should like to meet the Board 



144 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

of stewards to make definite arrangements about the 
meetings and our entertainment, as nothing to that ef- 
fect had been done. He assured me that I could not 
see them at that hour unless I would go with him to 
the circus, for, said he, they are all there, and if you 
want to get them all together at once you had better 
go now to the circus. I informed him that I gave up all 
sin when I was saved and would not think of going there. 

Sunday morning we were greeted with one of the 
most fashionably dressed, stiff and coldest congregations 
I ever faced. The sermon over, they went home and 
most of them stayed there until the next dress parade 
Sunday. On Saturday we were determined to have a 
crowd so we went down on the streets to hold a service 
to advertise our meeting. 

One of the members of the Epworth League had asked 
me to pray for a young man friend of hers who was tend- 
ing bar in a saloon. We went directly in front of the 
saloon in which our young man worked. There we held 
a short song service, had prayer and then I sang this 
wonderful song that has been used of God in saving many 
a young man from ruin. "Down in the Licensed Saloon." 
While we were singing the young fellow stood in the door 
and laughed, and made remarks about the young men and 
ladies in the crowd, and we went away very much 
discouraged. One of the Leaguers came to me that 
night and said, "Bro. Phillips I guess we had just as well 
quit; Harry stood in the door and laughed while you 
were singing this afternoon and I know we can't reach 
him." I replied, "Miss Fannie, that doesn't make any 



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DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 145 

difference if he did laugh ; sometimes a man will laugh 
when he is within one door of hell." She went away 
somewhat encouraged, but with a sad heart. 

The meeting ran on for exactly one week; everybody 
was attending and the interest was intense. Many were 
turning to God. On Saturday night the opera house 
was packed to the door. Mr. Andrews made a strong 
appeal. When the invitation was made, Harry, our sa- 
loon friend, was the first man to the altar. He did not 
hunt a soft place to kneel or sit up on the front pew, 
like folks do now, but fell his full length on the altar. 
Some one took him by the arm and assisted him to a 
chair by which he knelt, and while some prayed and 
talked, others sang and prayed, he was miraculously 
saved. He joined the church that night. Next morning 
he sent the keys down to the owner of the saloon, also 
sent word that he wanted a settlement, but would not 
come to his home or meet him somewhere outside the 
saloon for a settlement. He quit like a flash. In a few 
days he secured a good position in one of the best houses 
in the city, and was getting a better salary than he got 
when tending bar. 

In another city I sang this same song and told this 
same incident. The next morning I was walking down 
the street and a man stopped me and began talking to 
me. He said, "I heard your song and what you said 
last night and I have almost made up my mind to do as 
that fellow did, quit and be a man." I said, "well, don't 
be almost, be altogether persuaded, and do it now." "I 
will study over it." "Does your mother know what you 



146 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

are doing?" "No, nor I would not have her find it out 
for the world." "Well, you go home this day and write 
your mother a letter and tell her you have given your- 
self to Christ." That night he did. He, with many others 
— one of them a saloon man — gave themselves to God and 
became good workers in the meetings. 

Recently in our work in Philadelphia I had cause to 
sing this song one night in the church of Rev. W. A. 
Williams. He was the man who had arranged this beauti- 
ful song, and his heart was made glad to know that this 
song had been blessed in such a way, also his people 
rejoiced to learn the good accomplished by his work 
in song. I found him to be a man of lovely character, 
consecrated to his work and especially consecrated to 
work against the saloon. Most of his songs are on 
the prohibition line. In his church we had a wonderful 
meeting. Something like 250 people professed to have 
been reclaimed or converted. We feel glad that we were 
permitted to be in the work with such sweet-spirited and 
lovely characters as Rev. W. A. Williams and his con- 
secrated wife. 

GAVE "TEDDY BEARS" TO GET HER 
FATHER SAVED. 

The second night of our simultaneous revival in 
Philadelphia a little girl came to me and said, "Bro. 
Phillips, don't you want my Teddy bears?" I looked 
at her a moment in astonishment and said to her, "Why 
no, child, Bro. Phillips doesn't need any Teddy's." 
"Well, I am going to bring you a pair tomorrow night 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 147 

anyway." Sure enough, the following night as I entered 
the church door the bright-faced little girl ran up to me 
and pitched a little box in my hands and said, "There 
they are." I said to her, "You had better keep them, I 
am too big to play with Teddy bears." "Well you can 
take them home to your wife then." "Why do you want 
to give them to me?" "Well, just 'cause when my papa 
comes to church again I want you to go around and talk 
to him and get him converted. Mamma said papa liked 
you and maybe if you would talk to him you would get 
him." With that understanding I took the little box 
containing the two small Teddy bears about the size of 
a mouse, with the promise that I would do all that I 
could to get her papa converted. 

That night he came real early to the meeting and took 
his accustomed place in the back part of the house and 
close to the wall, as if he were trying to hide, for he very 
well knew that I was after him, as I had had a talk with 
him several times before. When the altar call was given 
I stepped down to where he was seated and asked him 
if he would give himself to Christ. He seemed very 
much stirred up and was under deep conviction, but 
steadly refused to take a stand for Christ that night, but 
finally said he would settle the matter the following night. 
I took him by the hand and said, "Upon your word and 
honor as a man, I shall expect you to do this and I will 
pray for you, but mind you, it's your risk and not mine ; 
in putting this off I cannot excuse you myself." I bade 
him good night and we parted, I fully expecting to see 
him the next night give himself to God and the church. 



148 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

I watched patiently and prayerfully for my man, but to 
my disappointment he did not show up. The little girl 
was almost heart-broken that night as she left the church. 
She came to me and said, "Bro. Phillips, my papa didn't 
come to night, won't you pray God to send him tomorrow 
night?" "Yes, I will pray for him; I think he will come 
yet and be saved." "Bro. Phillips, what do you think 
is the matter with my papa?" "Well, my dear child, I 
think your papa has no back bone." "O, yes he has 
cause I have seen it." That night when she returned 
home she ran up to her father and threw her arms around 
his neck and began to cry. The father raised her head 
from his shoulder and said, "Darling what is the mat- 
ter? Why do you cry so?" "Papa, I just can't help it, 
Brother Phillips said you didn't have any backbone, and 
I told him I just knows you has, 'cause I saw it one 
time." 

The father divined her meaning, while she herself 
did not quite understand. He tried to laugh, but the 
laugh was almost a cry. 

He came on Friday night and listened attentively 
to the sermon. When the call was extended he saw 
me leave the platform and supposing I was after him 
he made a break for the door, and down the steps and 
up the street at a one-thirty gait. I stood in the church 
k door and watched him 'till he crossed the street car 
track and disappeared in the crowd across the street. It 
is needless to say that he did not sleep much that night 
or the next night, for when the invitation was given on 
Sunday night to stand for prayers, he was the first on 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 149 



his feet. I slipped down the aisle and up behind him, 
and slipped my arm around him and said, "Now run, 
if you can; I've got you and you can't run." He went 
forward and accepted Christ and joined the church with 
his family, and I brought the Teddy bears home with 
me and put them on the piano, so that whenever I see 
them I am reminded of the child's faith and sacrifice in 
giving up her playthings in order, as she thought, to 
get her father converted. 

TELL MOTHER I'LL BE THERE. 

In our recent campaign in Philadelphia, lead by Dr. 
Chapman and Mr. Alexander, there were many striking 
incidents and wonderful conversions, one of which fol- 
lows : 

A large, fine looking man of, perhaps, thirty five or 
forty years of age, came to the meeting and took his seat 
in the same pew every night for a week or more. The 
second night that he came, I felt impressed to join my- 
sel to him and speak with him about his soul. He was 
a very kind and gentle-spirited man, yet the most in- 
different man I ever met. I spent almost an hour with 
him the first night, tho he informed me he did not have 
the least idea of becoming a Christian. He had tried it 
once and failed and was now "down and out." I assured 
him that God would save him, even if he was a back- 
slidden Baptist; at this he laughed, which is a good 
sign of life. As the work progressed, he became more 
interested and I urged him every night to confess Christ. 
Finally he told me that if I would pray for him he would 
settle the matter the next night or so. Tho, instead, he 



150 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

got under such conviction he quit the meeting, left the 
city, and went to visit the old home one hundred and the 
miles distant, up in the mountain. 

When he arrived there he was met at the door by 
his kind old mother, who gave him a hearty welcome 
and a mother's kiss. He soon began to wander about 
the old home place, viewing the scenes of his childhood 
days. He was out at the old well in the back yard when 
he heard a voice singing in a low, sweet tone, and as 
he listened, he caught these words: "My heart over- 
flows, for I love him, he knows; Oh where is my boy 
tonight?" He involuntarily took up another song in the 
same key, and began singing in a clear voice so that 
the dear old mother could hear it: "Tell mother I'll be 
there, in answer to her prayer. Yes, tell my dear old 
mother I'll be there." 

Soon all were seated around the big open fire-place 
and the conversation turned to the great meeting down 
in Philadelphia. Then the mother turned and looked 
at her wayward son and said: "My boy, why did you 
not got to the meetings and give God your heart? I 
have been praying for you and expecting to hear 
that you were saved. We are glad to see you here at 
home again, but were not expecting you; just thought 
you would enjoy the meetings down there and would 
not come home for a long time." 

By this time the heart of her son was so touched he 
could not look up, but dropped his head on the back of 
his chair and said: "Mother don't say another word. If 
you will pray for me, I'll go back to Philadelphia on the 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 151 

first train and will give myself to God at the first service 
I attend." 

He rushed down to the depot the next morning just 
in time to catch the first train into the city, and reached 
there for the morning service. The sermon was over 
and no call was given. The same thing occurred at the 
afternoon service. He thought it was the longest day 
of his life. At the evening service he was among the 
first to go forward and confess Christ as his Savior. He 
went to work among his friends and led many of them to 
Christ. 

The day the meeting closed he had me go down and 
spend the evening at his home and take supper with his 
family. This I enjoyed very much; never had a more 
delightful time' and when we separated he put his big, 
strong arms around my shoulders and looked me in 
the face and said: "Bro. Phillips^ I hope to meet you 
again, but if we never meet here on earth, I will see 
you when you get to heaven." As I donned my top-coat 
and was leaving the house, he placed in my hand a beauti- 
jful ink-stand, carved with his own hand, from a large 
piece of hard coal and polished like a piece of black 
granite, saying as he handed it to me, "Take this along 
with you and whenever you look at it just remember 
the man who left home and went a hundred miles to get 
away from God, Instead, I found mother praying for 
me, and returned and got saved. Now, I am happy on 
the way to heaven." 

Since then he has joined the church, gone to work am- 
ong his men, and is leading a useful, Christian life. A letter 



152 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

from him before me now, says: "I can now sing, 'Tell 
mother and Brother Phillips I'll be there.' " 

DIDN'T KNOW HIM AFTER HE GOT RELIGION. 

The first service in a meeting is usually the most 
difficult one. Getting acquainted is no small task in 
revival work. 

In this particular meeting the pastor was rather slow 
on arrangements, slow on introducing us to his people 
and slow on every part of the field. When the first serv- 
ice was held, the people assembled and the house was 
crowded, every pair of eyes we could see were in use, and 
those that could not see were being shown or told by 
the nearest person that sat next to them. The time 
arrived to begin the service and the pastor said, "Get 
up singer, and start a song." Well, that was a complete 
let down to a stranger and in a strange church. The 
singer arose in his dignity and disgust almost and in a 
very serious and solemn tone of voice said, "I am from 
Arkansas, now laugh." And I suspect he felt like say- 
ing the rest when they didn't laugh. He saw very plainly 
that they did not understand the joke, therefore he did 
not lose any time in announcing a hymn and began sing- 
ing very vigorously. 

At the close of the meeting he repeated the joke and 
explained it, then they laughed, but he was not certain 
whether they were laughing at him or his joke. 

After the meeting had been running a few days, the 
pastor went to one of the workers and told him he had 
an unsaved man he wanted him to work with. One night 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 153 

after the service closed he asked the singer to go to the 
rear of the house and mieet his friend. He did so, sat 
down to talk with the fellow, asked him if he would go 
to the altar with him. "No," said he, "I won't go to- 
night." "Well, will you pray for yourself when you go 
to retire tonight?" "What, me pray? I never prayed in 
my life." "Arn't you a married man?" "Yes." 
"And have children?" "Yes." "Well, if I were you I'd 
be ashamed of myself, and I'd never let another sun rise 
over my head without praying and thanking God for His 
mercies to me. I'll tell you what I'll do, if you will kneel 
down and pray for yourself when you go home before 
you retire, I will pray for you too, and I believe God 
will save you before you return to the meeting." "Al- 
right, I'll do it, good night." "Good night, sir, and may 
God bless and save you before you return." 

He went home and did as he promised, but had a 
hard struggle. Before retiring he said, Come on, wife, 
let's pray." "Oh," she said, "you go on and do your 
praying and I'll do mine in here with the children." So 
down on his knees he went. The wife said her little 
prayer and went to bed, but not to sleep. He prayed, 
and then prayed some more, then rested awhile and 
prayed more. The clock struck three and he was still 
praying, but before it had reached the hour of four he 
was happily saved, also his wife. They didn't sleep any 
at all that night, but put in the entire night praying and 
shouting after he got the victory. 

He was the dirtiest man I almost ever saw. Hadn't 
shaved since early spring. This was nearly Christmas. 
When he returned to the meeting that night, he had put 



154 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

on a fresh laundered shirt, had shaved off that mass of 
entangled hair from his face that looked more like moss 
than beard, trimmed his hair and I really think took a 
bath — even if it were winter time; put on a new suit 
of clothes and came up to the front and took the second 
pew from the altar, got a song book, and joined in the 

singing as enthusiastically as if he were a preacher. 

The pastor came up to the singer and said, "Did you 
know your man prayed nearly all night last night, and 
got religion, then shouted the remainder of the night!" 
"No, no, you don't mean that?" "Yes I do, he is con- 
verted, and is here now somewhere." "Well, where is 
he; I want to see him?" "Oh, yes, there he sits on the 
second pew, no that isn't John Harswell." "Yes it is." 
"No, that is not old John, that's a bran new John from 
head to foot, inside and out." If there ever was a man 
made over that man was. He was completely revolu- 
tionized, reconstructed or rather regenerated, which 

means made over. From that day till his death, 
he was a faithful worker in his church, always stood by 
his pastor in a material way and as long as he had two 
cows to milk, the pastor always got one of them. Guess 
most preachers in the world would like to see more of 
his kind brought into the cow pen or sheep fold. 

"SELF INVITED GUESTS." 

It was along the last part of November and the home 
of a Methodist Itinerant preacher, or rather his stopping 
place. It was hardly fit to be called a 'home,' tho' it 
was where mother and the babies stayed, while father 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 155 

traveled over the country preaching the gospel to the 
Indians and a few scattering families of whites who 
chanced to be squatters in the territory, even before 
Oklahoma was known. 

The wind was blowing a terrific gale, the night was 
dark and gloomy, the rain had not ceased to patter upon 
the leaky roof since early morn, when with but a small 
amount of food and clothing, and scarcely enough wood 
to make one good fire, a poor mother was left to fight 
life's battle alone, for ten days, and with a sick child to 
attend daring the father's absence. Father kissed his 
patient wife 'goodbye,' went to the bed and lifted the little 
sufferer as tenderly as he could, in his big, rough bony 
hands, folded it to his bosom, imprinted a warm kiss 
upon his forehead and laid it back upon its pillow, turned 
to his wife and said, "Mother, if he goes before I return 
you will have the consolation of knowing that we have 
another jewel in heaven." Before the heart-broken wife 
and mother could control herself enough to speak, the 
father had mounted his Choctaw pony, and was slowly 
and sadly moving across the long low range of sand 
mountains, on his way to annual conference, which met at 
Tishomingo, a distance of over three hundred miles away. 

He knew very well the hardships that his companion 
had to brave during his ten days stay at the conference, 
with no one to assist her in caring for the sick child 
during these ten long lonesome days, save occasionally 
an old Indian woman who would come over evenings and 
assist in doing the chores about the place. Sometimes, 
she would slip up to the bed and look longingly and piti- 



156 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

fully at the child, then turn to the mother with a sad face, 
shaking her head and saying, "Child sick, much sick. No 
getta well, me stay, me stay, me stay to you house this 
night." "No, no, Aunt Tubby, no, no, you can go back 
home tonight, I think I can make it thru the night, and 
your Indian man may need you at home. God has prom- 
ised and I know he will keep us." "Yes'um, my white 
lady, He say he never leave nor forsake me." 

The rain by this time was failing thick and fast, the 
darkness had become so intense the poor old woman 
could not see her way home and was of necessity forced 
to remain; however, to her satisfaction. She seemed 
perfectly willing to devote her life to the wellfare and 
happiness of that mother and babe, for it was this family 
that brought the gospel of glad tidings to her people 
and had led them from savage darkness into Christian 
light. Her own squaw man, too, had been converted 
and was then a Christian, therefore, she was willing to 
return the kindness by sacrifice. 

Hour by hour the child seemed to grow worse. They 
racked their nervous heads to recall some remedy or 
secure some medicine that would bring relief to the 
precious babe. Finally the old Indian said, "Me go 
home get some tuck-a-hoo roots make-ee hot drink. 
Child get well." In less time than it takes to tell the 
tale she was out and gone, thru the rain and dreary 
darkness. Her shanty was nearly a mile away. How 
she made the trip and return at that hour, will only be 
known by herself, and the holy angel that must have 
guided her. 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 157 

The moments hung like midnight's dull dreams upon 
the mother's aching head. She noticed the heavy breath- 
ing of the child, then she would try to hold her own 
breath as she listened for the returning footsteps of her 
Indian nurse and doctor. Just then she heard a noise 
at the front corner of the low rail fence that surrounded 
the little cabin. Then she breathed silently and softly 
again, as she imagined her Indian woman doctor had 
returned. She waited for her, but she failed to appear. 
Then she heard some peculiar jabbering, the stamping 
of horses feet, her heart almost ceased to beat ; in another 
moment heavy footsteps were heard upon the little porch, 
the rattle and clinking of roller spurs, could easily be 
heard, as they dragged them sluggishly across the rough 
boards of the floor. She crouched beneath the old rat- 
tling window, and tried to make herself believe she was 
dreaming. But to her frightened astonishment there 
came a gentle tap upon the door. Breathlessly she waited 
for a moment, and then another gentle tap; she knew 
that if it were Indian murderers she had no chance to 
escape. Also if she showed cool courage and kindness 
they would more than likely award her for her bravery. 
The third rap came, she quietly placed the covering about 
the rugged couch upon which the child lay, then stepped 
to the door and opened it, to face as hard a looking 
band of Indians as ever rode over an Oklahoma frontier. 
They were led by one who seemed more gentle and kind 
than she had anticipated. Without a word the entire 
band walked in though as noislessly as if they had been 
upon the dewy plains. They surrounded the bed upon 



158 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

which the child lay, the leader walked up to the child 
and took hold of its hand. Every Indian stood with 
hat off and bowed head for a moment. The leader 
dropped the hand of the infant, walked to the opposite 
side of the little room, unbuckled from his waist a large 
belt which contained two heavy pistols. He carefully 
laid them on the bed, then laid his hat upon his "guns ;" 
each member of the band in turn, followed his example. 
He then stepped back to the bed, took the child by the 
hand, looked at the mother and smiled, "Christian." "Me 
Christian, you Christian?" She smiled and bowed as- 
senting that she was. "Pray," "Me pray for child, he 
be well." Down on their knees every Indian dropped 
and such a prayer was never heard as fell from the lips 
of that half-civilized Choctaw Indian preacher-man. The 
prayer ended, still bowing on their knees, they sang in 
almost pure English, for they had learned a few songs: 

"Other refuge have I none; 

Hangs my helpless soul on Thee; 
Leave, oh, leave me not alone, 

Still support and comfort me." 

As quietly and as quickly as the December snow 
falls beneath the singing boughs of the cedar trees this 
band of uninvited guests picked up their hats, belted on 
their guns, and one by one stole from the room. As 
the leader left last he pointed upward and said, "Jesus 
man lik-ee little children. Be well morrow day. He 
no leave you. He no leave you. Bye, 'm bye, night, 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 159 

night. Me see you morrow day, morrow day. I come 
see him all time your preacher man gone, me preacher 
man too, heap much good." 

The door closed, never was a heart more thankful. 
What she supposed to be intruders, or worse, perhaps 
robbers, turned out to be the most comforting callers 
a frontier preacher home had ever received. 

Past midnight the Indian doctor woman made her 
appearance, loaded down with herbs, dried venison, and 
tuck-a hoo roots. The babe was sleeping soundly and 
did not take one dose of the faithful doctor's medicine. 
When daylight appeared next morning, the old woman 
went wandering along her way home, she passed by a 
company of campers on the creek just in front of her 
cabin. The sequel of this story would have never been 
known had she not stopped to share their hot campfire 
coffee with them. In their broken conversation, the 
campers told her they had been to hear a pale face Jesus 
man preach last summer, and that the leader had been 
converted and was now on his way down to Tishomingo 
to see the Jesus man who led him to be a Jesus man 
too — a preacher. So he could tell his men about the 
Jesus-house up in the heaven. 

Since this incident occurred the child has grown to 
manhood, the old Indian woman has gone to heaven. 
The leader that prayed the prayer for the sick child, was 
licensed to preach and has lead many of his people to 
the white man's Jesus, and the father of the sick child is 
still a faithful preacher in the Indian mission con- 
ference and is today still leading many young and old 



160 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

Indians, as well as white people, to the white man's 
Jesus. 

INFIDEL CONVERTED. 

In a certain town in western Missouri an infidel 
decided that the church people were doing too much, and 
were getting the upper hand of them, so they sent 
away and engaged the most noted infidel lecturer that 
could be found. They advertised it largely and puffed 
him loudly and endeavored to create great interest among 
the town people. They secured the opera house, had it 
well lighted, seated and heated, and everything was 
done possible to make it a success, or at least to secure 
a large crowd. All the time this thoughtless wicked man 
'was doing this, his precious old mother was pleading 
with him not to do it, but to call it off and denounce 
his infidelity; but he stubbornly refused to do so. Fi- 
nally, she told him if he would not listen to her and heed 
her entreaties, she would not mention it to him again, 
but would talk to God about it. Time drew near for the 
lecturer to arrive. Everything was in perfect condi- 
tion, and a few of his sort were boasting of their expected 
victory. The day came and finally the last moment, 
just when the train rolled in, upon which they expected 
their hero, they received a telegram that it would be 
impossible for him to come and to call the lecture off. 
Nothing could be done but call it off or stand still and 
see it fall off, for but few were disappointed anyway. 

The dear old mother was not disappointed. She had 
been asking God to prevent that man's coming to the 
town, though she prayed for God to open the eyes of 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 161 

her blinded son, that he might see the realities of a real 
religion. He was very much disappointed at his defeat, 
and was very cross and rough and unhappy for several 
days. He then became very miserable for some reason 
and was very restless; when he would go to town he 
would wish he was at home, when at home he wanted 
to go back in town. 

One afternoon he was down in the city and for some 
reason he did not go home for supper, but loafed around 
till after supper time. Then carelessly started strolling 
down the road toward home. On his way he heard 
somebody talking, over at one of the churches. He had 
been restless and discontented all day; was under deep 
conviction but didn't want to tell it. He decided he 
would drop into the church and see what they were do- 
ing; he had not been inside of a church for years and 
then only to criticise, but somehow, he felt differently 
that night. He opened the door and stepped in and sat 
down. He listened a moment, then he recognized the 
voice, when he heard, "Oh, God, if you don't save my 
wayward boy he. will break my heart, for Jesus sake 
and for his helpless old mother's sake save him, wherever 
he is tonight." When the prayer was ended, to the 
astonishment of all, he had surrendered to God. He 
deliberately got up and walked down to the front and 
shoqk hands with the pastor, and told him he was saved, 
scarcely before anybody knew he was in the house. When 
his mother saw him she could not hold herself, but 
rushed to him and clasped him in her arms and said, 
"Oh, my boy, I knew God would save you some day, but 



162 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

it is too good to be true that God has let me live to 
see it." 

He was the most active man in the great revival held 
there a few years afterward, and has been since that 
night. 

THE STORY OF GEO. COOK'S CONVERSION. 

I was entertained in a home in a certain city in 
Texas: and in this home there was a son-in-law who 
was unsaved. The wife of this man, and his mother 
became very much interested for his soul's salvation. 
They asked me to pray for him and when he came in on 
Sundays to talk to him, but to be very careful how I 
approached him for he was easily offended and if he 
became offended he would not attend the meetings at 
all. 

When he arrived home on Saturday I met him on the 
front porch, and said, "Hello old fellow. I'm glad to 
see you back. I hope you had a successful week." 
"Thank you, thank you, yes I did. I have had a good 
trade this week, and have been quite busy. But not so 
busy that I didn't have time to read my Bible. Don't 
you know when I left my old home in Kentucky years 
ago my mother put a little Bible in my trunk, and said, 
"my boy, when you are far away from home and mother, 
and among strangers, just remember that your mother 
is praying for you. And if you will follow the teachings 
of that blessed little book, you will always go the right 
way." Well, when I got through my work yesterday I 
sat down and read a chapter or two in the Bible my 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 163 

mother gave to me. And I have been thinking all day of 
the many precious lessons I received at my old Christian 
mother's knee, and I promised her." As he said this his 
eyes filled with tears, and he left me standing on the 
porch, while he stole away up stairs to his room. I did 
not see him any more to talk with him, only met him 
at the table, during the breakfast and luncheon hours, 
until Sunday afternoon at which time he came into my 
room. 

He sat down on the bed and gave me his experience 
and ask me what I thought he should do. He said, "I 
went down to the Club rooms this afternoon to see some 
of my friends for a few moments. When I got there 
one of the boys came to me and said, "Come now, Cook, 
let's have something; we have a new case of beer that 
has just been opened. Lets sample it." I said, "No 
boys, you will please excuse me ; I am on the waterwagon, 
and am not going to drink anything to day. I have 
promised Mr. Phillips that I would attend the gospel 
meeting with him down at the big tent this afternoon." 
"Oh! Come take some beer, just a little for old time's 
sake. You don't surely expect to leave the Club and 
go to a common tent-meeting this afternoon do you." 
"Yes I do, so farewell gentlemen." In a few moments 
he came into my room and told me the above story. By 
this time I was ready to go to the tent to the service 4 
for men only, so according to this promise, he got his 
coat and hat and marched along down the- street with 
me to the tent. The meeting was one of the largest and 
best for permanent results ever held in the city. There 



164 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

were at least fifteen hundred men in attendance. Mr. 
Andrews preached as but few men can. The power of 
God was upon the people and the results and effects 
were visible. When the oppotunity for seekers was 
given, the unsaved began coming forward. As one came 
that seemed to encourage others, I turned to my friend, 
Cook, who was standing near me in the large choir, and 
I said to him, "Now is your time to settle the matter 
and give yourself to the Lord. "No, I can't go now; I 
will though sometime. I know my mother is praying 
for me today." "Well," then said I, "why not let her 
prayers be answered today?" About this time one of 
his old friends came down to the altar and accepted 
Christ, and was rejoiced in his new found love, and 
shaking hands with friends. I took Mr. Cook by the 
arm and said, "Come on, old fellow, now is your time. 
Let's go down and shake hands with your friend," who 
was also at one time a prominent salesman in Texas. 
Cook started and met his friend; they talked it over, 
and then he made his way to the Evangelist, and publicly 
accepted Christ. There was great rejoicing in the old 
gospel tent that da\, for about twenty-five or thirty 
prominent business men accepted Christ, and scores of 
young people. 

As soon as the service was over we went back to his 
father-in-law's home, where I was being entertained. 
He was so anxious to break the good news, he reached 
the house before I did. When I entered the front hall 
the good mother-in-law met me at the front door, and 
with tears of gladness beaming in her eyes, she said, 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 165 

"Oh Brother Phillips, this is the happiest day I have seen 
for many days." Cook had gone on up stairs and there 
he found his devoted wife, where they rejoiced together 
and talked their plans over of joining the church. 

In a few hours he tapped on my room door and said, 
"If you are not too tired I would like to come in and 
talk with you a while." "Come right in," I said, for I 
am never too tired to talk about religion. He drew 
from his pocket a letter and as he did so he said, "There 
will be a shout in the camp when that reaches dear old 
mother in my Kentucky home. I wish I could be stand- 
ing behind the door when she breaks the letter, and be- 
gins to read it to my father whom I have not seen for 
seven years. I have written to her about my conversion 
and I can see my mother rejoicing as she reads: 

Sherman, Texas, May 20, 1905. 

My dear mother: — It is with pleasure and great joy 
that I hasten to write to you this afternoon and tell you 
the glad good news, for which you have prayed and looked 
for these many years. I attended a gospel tent-meeting 
this afternoon and was wonderfully saved. My precious 
wife and I have been rejoicing all the evening, and I could 
not go to bed without first writing and telling you how 
happy I am since I gave myself to Jesus. 

I long to be with you and see you face to face, and 
tell you all about it. Good-bye. 

Your Loving Son, 

George." 

The letter was sealed and mailed to his mother m 
Kentucky, and I am sure there was great rejoicing in 



166 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

the home when the letter reached its destination. 

He joined the church and lived a consistent life as 
long as I knew him. 

Later — Nov. 10, 1907. Am just back home today 
from a second meeting at Sherman where my friend 
Cook still lives, and is an active worker in the Methodist 
Church. 

When our first service was concluded, he was the 
first man to rush up to the front and shake hands with 
me, and said, "God bless you; I have been sticking to 
my post." 

He had to leave during the meeting, to attend his 
father's funeral, but said, as he bade me good-by, 'Til 
know where to find him." 

APOLOGIZED TO HIS MULE. 

"I don't see any use in all this foolishness any how. 
What do you want all the neighbors coming here in the 
middle of the week a praying for? You must think 
the judgment day is a comin' and you aint ready." 

"Well George, you know since they started the re- 
vival, we are having cottage prayer meetings all over 
town. Last night when Mr. Law asked if somebody in 
Easttown wanted a prayermeeting I said, "Yes we would 
like to have one at our house." 

Alright, at 3 :30 tomorrow, prayermeeting at Mrs. 
Burke's. 

As one of the neighbors passed next day he said 
"Hello ! Geo. glad you are home today. I will be over 
directly for the meeting." "Well now if that aint enough 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 167 

to melt your mutton, coming over to prayer meeting ! I 
will leave then — that is just what I'll do — aint going to 
have 'em prayin' around me." 

When he saw the people approaching the house he 
grabbed his hat and made a dash across tke hay-meadow 
for the home of his son-in-law. To his surprise when 
he got there the family had gone around the other way 
to his home to attend the meeting. 

He sat around on the wood pile and loafed around the 
barn, and looked at the calves until he got tired. He 
thought they never would get through that prayermeet- 
ing. 

About four o'clock he decided that he would go 
home. They surely will be through, by the time I get 
there, for this has been a mighty long day. He stole 
quietly back across the field to the house, slipped in the 
back way to a back room, thinking they would soon quit 
and go home. They were singing in a low sweet tone, 
"Oh Prodical Child Come Home." He sat there a while, 
quietly thinking in his own mind that it was time for him 
to return home to God, and be a Christian. 

The song ended. Once more they dropped on their 
knees to pray. This time his little christian wife led the 
prayer. She began by saying, a Oh God, my heart is 
breaking, won't you save my wayward wicked husband. 
You know where he is at this moment, Lord, touch his 
heart and lead him to Thyself." This was too much 
for the cowardly husband. He was hearing every word 
of that earnest prayer from the adjoining room. He 
dropped on his knees by the children's bed, and if ever 



168 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

a poor sinner begged for pardon he did. When the 
prayer ended in the front room, the meeting hastily ad- 
journed to the little back room, and there the battle was 
fought and won. When George arose with one arm 
around his wife, and the other around the two hundred- 
and-eighty-pound wife of his neighbor, and shouting at 
the top of his husky voice, he was made conscious of 
the fact that he was hugging his neighbor's wife, he 
said, "Well I am so happy I want to hug everybody." 
So he did, and wound up his hugging match by running 
out to the lot, and hugging his old mule that the day 
before he had cursed and beaten all over the lot. He 
actually got down on his knees, and begged the mule's 
pardon. He had also cursed the preachers, and said 
they could never come to his house. But Oh, how 
religion changes a fellow. 

The next day he had all the preachers come to dinner 
with him, and I don't think I ever spent a more pleasant 
day than that. 

One year later, we returned to that town and found 
him to be an elder in the church, a teacher in Sunday 
School, and the best all-around worker in the church. 

SAVED BY THE SONG, "CAN A BOY FORGET HIS 
MOTHER'S PRAYER." 

Mr. Andrews reproved me one day for singing so 
many songs about my mother, saying that it seemed that 
I put more stress upon my mother than I did on Christ. 
Well, I went away feeling perhaps that he was right. 
Yet, I had long since learned from experience that if you 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 169 

can not touch a man's heart by the songs, prayers and 
training of a christian mother, he is almost gone. When 
he is thus touched, then I give him the Bible, and tell 
him Christ will save, and he is usually converted. I 
sang this song: "Can a Boy Forget his Mother's Prayer," 
at. the men's meeting, in the big tent one afternoon. At 
the close of the sermon many were saved ; among them, 
was a man who lingered sometime at the altar, and 
went away without accepting Christ. He returned that 
night, and was at the altar again. As I talked to him 
he said, "I did not want to come to this meeting, and 
tried to stay away. But my sister and wife persuaded 
me to come. I had not heard a sermon since my mother 
died, and had not been to church for years. But when 
you sang that song this afternoon it touched my heart, 
and brought to my mind the teachings of my sainted 
mother. And now I want you to help me," which I 
did, and we knelt and prayed, and the man was won- 
derfully converted, gave his name for church member- 
ship, and went to work in the meeting and helped to 
lead others to Christ. 

God will answer your prayer of faith. So don't get 
discouraged. Trust in Him and keep on praying. 

"Can a boy forget his mother's prayer 
When he has wandered God knows where 
Its down the paths of sin and shame, 
Yet mother's prayers are heard the same." 



170 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

TELL BILLIE TO MEET ME IN HEAVEN. 

"Are you a Christian?" 

"No sir." s 

"Do you want to be?" 

"I don't know that I do." 

"Well, you surely hope to become a Christian some 
day." 

"I don't hardly think I will." 

"Well, what on earth did you come to the meeting 
for?" 

"Just to hear the singing; I like to hear good music, 
but I don't care for the preaching, nor I don't want every- 
body to come around talking to me when I do come; if 
they do I will just stay at home." 

"No you won't either. You come on to the meeting 
and I won't let anybody talk to you. But I'll promise 
you this: I will talk to you every time you come here, 
if the Lord impresses me to, if I have to run you all over 
the tent." 

For one entire week he came to the meeting and 
occupied the same seat, but seemed to grow less in- 
terested. Finally I made him this promise, that if he 
would come every night till the close of the meeting and 
would do what I asked him to do, and the Lord did 
not save him, if he had to go to hell I would go in his 
place. "No," said he, "I could not ask you to do that." 

"You did not ask me, I made the offer, will you take 
me up?" 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 171 

"Yes I will," I bade him good bye with a God blessing. 
"You will be saved." "Good night, I hope so." 

The next night I dealt with him for one hour, but 
he steadily refused to accede to any proposition, but 
said he would pray that night when he got home, and 
would settle it about his soul the next night. I went 
to my room delighted with the fact that I would win a 
"Rough Diamond" the next night, for the Lord. 

To my surprise he came early that night and got 
near the front — a good sign. I located him and recog- 
nized him with a smile and bow, to let him know I was 
anxious for his salvation. I had planned to sing a certain 
solo. But one or two members of the choir insisted on 
me singing that little song, "Meet Mother in the Skies." 
I said "No, that is old, people will not appreciate it." 
They begged for it until I consented to sing it for them. 
I am quite sure now it was providential for when I sang 
that chorus "If you love your mother, boys, meet her in 
the skies," it went home to his heart. 

The sermon was finished, the invitation hymn was 
announced, and I looked for my man and he was gone. 
As we stood to sing he left the tent. I was so disap- 
pointed I could not sing. I went down to where he had 
been seated and asked his friends where he was. "He 
would not stay; he was afraid of you." "Where is he?" 
"Out there behind the tabernacle." 

"Go out there and tell him to come back, I want 
to see him." He went and delivered the message, but 
the old sinner refused, said he was not feeling well, and 
was going home. I made up my mind if he went home 



172 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

unsaved I would go with him. So I set out to find him. 
When I got out into the darkness, behind the tabernacle, 
I saw a lady near the corner, in the rear of the tabernacle, 
talking to a man, whom I took to be my much sought 
"diamond." He soon informed me that he was not the 
man in question, and didn't wish to be disturbed. Un- 
hesitatingly I took my departure, very rapidly. I went 
back to the door, took up my song book and proceeded 
to sing; tho' I was not satisfied with my success in locat- 
ing my friend, I made up my mind to take another trip 
around the end of the tabernacle which was near the side 
walk. Here I found my man, standing there in the dark, 
with his hat pulled low down over his eyes, with lantern 
in one hand, pulling his mustache nervously with the 
other hand, and leaning against the wall with his head 
down, as if in a deep study. 

I slipped up and laid my hand on his shoulder and 
said, "Now I have got you and you must not run. What 
are you doing here?" "Why I just started home." "No 
you didn't. You told me last night you were. going 
forward and get rigfrt with God, I believed you would, 
so you must not disappoint me." 

After much persuasion we succeeded in getting him 
forward. We knelt for prayer and while praying he 
took my hand in his and laid the other on my shoulder 
•and said, "I never would have come here to-night if you 
had not sung that song. When you said "If you love 
your mother, meet her in the skies," that was too many 
for me. My brother was called to Colorado a few months 
ago to "witness the death of my precious old mother. 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 173 

Just before she died, she looked up at him and said, 
"Son, won't you meet me in heaven?" He assured her 
that he would, then she said, "Tell Billie to meet me in 
heaven, too, I will expect him." She closed her eyes 
and went away. So tonight I have given myself to God 
and will meet her on the other side of the river, and I 
shall attribute my conversion to that little song." 

A SUNDAY IN NEW MEXICO. 
From "The World Wide Revival." 

Albuquerque, N. M., June 7, 1909. For three weeks I 
was detained at Amarilla with a complete knockout from 
my voice, at which time I had to undergo two severe op- 
erations — one in the throat, the other, nasal. The work 
was very successful and in one week I was ofLto Albu- 
querque, N. M., for a two week's revival campaign, in 
the most needy field I have ever seen. The work is 
entirely kept up by the Mission board of our church. 

The city has a population of about 25,000, composed 
of Indians, Mexicans, Jews, negroes, Japanese, Chinese, 
and White folks, the latter predominating. But they 
are influenced by the prevailing customs of the people, 
therefore, the morals are limited and the immorals are 
numerous. 

I attended the three hundredth anniversary of the 
founding of the Catholic church in that city, by San 
Phillipa, a Franciscan monk. The pow wow continued 
from 5 o'clock a. m. to 10 p. m. 

These are some of the sights I witnessed, and that 
on an American Sabbath : With Mr. Venerable, the dis- 



174 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

trict court clerk, and Mr. Warlick, a leading merchant 
of the city, I took the electric car at 2 :30 and ran down 
to the old Cathedral where the festivities were in prog- 
ress. The main part of the crowd were located in a small 
park, with the Mexican national band dispensing a so- 
called sacred concert, with all the red lemonade, pop 
corn, and everything else, from a fourteenth century 
pistol to a lot of cheap green glassware, on sale. This 
did not appeal to me, so we then visited the Mission 
church. Here we saw the devoted (?) Catholics coming 
and going in a continuous stream, bowing before the 
crucifix, then back to their frolics. Some to the base-ball 
park, others to the race-track, which was in full blast, 
and the younger generation to the dance-hall, where the 
maidens were gaudily attired in cheap pink, red, blue, 
green, buff and every other color found or not found 
in the rainbow. The young men were about like the 
average Mexican, and all bunched on the opposite side 
of the hall. A fellow would watch a bunch of maidens 
until he saw one that appealed to his fancy, then he 
deliberately walked over, took her by one arm, laid 
the other arm around her tubby waist, and walked out 
on the ball-room floor and began the game of tramping, 
sliding, squeezing and whirling around, and they called 
that "dancing just like the Arkansas hill billies." But 
I didn't see any dance to it. It was "just goin' a huggin\ 
or huggin' a goin.' " I only spent a very few moments 
in seeing all this, and returned to my afternoon meeting, 
feeling like I never wanted to witness another scene like 
that. 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 175 

Our meeting was a great success for Christ and the 
church. We were hindered much by the pastor not 
taking hold with us. One of the pastors would preach 
to his gang, then slip out of the pulpit and accompany 
them to the Crystal theatre. Another was known to 
leave his wife and babies at home, and escort his lady- 
soloist to a circus. So they could not stand for strong 
evangelistic preaching. However, two or three pastors 
came and seemed to enjoy the meetings. We had a choir 
of perhaps one hundred of the best singers ever heard 
in New Mexico in a revival, and entirely new to them. 

The Southern Methodist church has undertaken the 
biggest job in the history of the territory, that of build- 
ing a $50,000 Institutional Church there, wl^ich, if built 
will be of untold value to the many travelers, health 
seekers and new comers. The climate is said to be fine. 
For me it was not at all good. I am now resting, prepara- 
tory for our great meeting at the First Church, Amorilla, 
Texas, 

Yours For Souls, 

Edward Gideon Phillips. 

JUST A COMMON CHICKEN PEDDLER. 

It was the second meeting of John E. Brown in a 
Southwest Missouri town but was the first introduction 
of the writer to that noted little place. 

In the first meeting held there by Mr. Brown some- 
thing like 150 people made a profession in the meeting 
mostly Sunday /School children, however. The meeting 
was a great success so far as reaching the young people 



176 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

was concerned, but didn't reach many of the older people. 
The first meeting was cut short on account of the 
Christmas holidays. Mr. Brown promised he would 
return some time and conclude the great work begun. 
This was fully accomplished in the second meeting and 
to the satisfaction of every church-going person in the 
little city. Among many leading men who were sup- 
posed to be beyond reach by the gospel was one fellow 
by the name of J. N. McConnell, who was a poultry 
man. Would have been called a 'chicken-peddler' in 
Texas. His place of business was headquarters for all 
the toughs in the town. He bought and sold hides of 
different kinds. I have often thought if I could have 
bought the hides of the unsuspecting country youths who 
had been skinned in that den I could have hung them 
upon the doors that lead into the dive it would been an 
object lesson to the wandering "Willie's" who chanced 
to walk therein. 

A rather good looking, middle-aged man entered the 
church one night and took a seat in the first pew. He 
sat just as near the door as he could get. The song 
service was in full force and everybody seemed to be 
enjoying it except this man who wore a rather refined 
though saddened look upon his intelligent face. He was 
at first taken to be a lawyer of note who had by drink 
blighted his once bright and dreamy anticipations of 
reaching a high and honored station in life. When the 
anxious inquirer was informed that the object of his 
thoughts and prayers was a common "chicken peddler," 
he was not embarrassed in the least, but right then and 







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DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 177 

there decided there was something in the man beyond 
what any one had suspected and he would take the task, 
by the help of God, of showing this man a brighter and 
nobler way of which at that time he knew nor cared but 
little. 

The sermon ended, and the invitation was extended 
to seekers. While the song service was running at full 
speed the leader unpretentiously stepped out into the 
aisle and down into the great congregation. He walked 
along the aisle shaking hands with friends on each side. 
He finally reached the pew near the door. The ob- 
ject of his prayers was sitting there, almost wholly un- 
conscious of his surroundings, but he had his eyes upon 
the leader of the song services. Since the call was given 
he extended his hand, and greeted the stranger with a 
warm handshake, saying as he did so, "God bless you 
my friend, I hope you are a Christian." "No I am 
not, nor don't want to be, my hand is turned to every 
man in this town, and the back of every man's hand is 
turned on me. I don't love anybody, nor no one loves 
me." "Well" said the worker, "God loves you and Jesus 
loved you enough to die for you, and I love you enough 
to come down here and take you by the hand and tell 
you so." 

He looked up and smiled with a look of inquiry in his 
eyes that meant volumes to the worker who said, "Are 
you not a Christian?" "No, but my daughter was con- 
verted in Mr. Brown's meeting last year and she wanted 
to come and see him tonight and I just came along with 
her, you see." "I'll tell you what I'll do," said the 



178 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

worker, "If you will come to these meetings every night 
and not miss a service, I would love you and will pray 
for you and will go home with you some time and be 
your friend as long as you live." He looked the worker 
in the eyes and held out his hand and said "Thank you, 
I'll do it," With that introduction the fight for life— or 
for the salvation of that man's soul began, which ended 
in triumph and victory, after two weeks of the hardest 
struggle that one man ever made for another. 

It would take too long to tell the many difficulties 
which confronted him, the laborious task and the faith 
it took to save him that night. He told the pastor next 
day of his unexpected success and was met with a cool 
reply that there's no use working after that fellow. He 
will black-slide before you get home. He went his way, 
however, with his mind to do his duty. 

The song service was started early the next night 
and with hawk-eyed vision he watched for his friend. 
Pretty soon he came in, and came up near the front, then 
the worker said, "He is all right, I'll land him sure." 
But just then he was seated between two of his pals, 
who were known to be the toughest men in the town; 
and one was actually a murderer." Ah, now that settles 
it," said the worker," he'll never move from between 
those two fellows, for they will laugh at him, and he 
can't stand that jar." The next day he promised to let 
his anxious helper know what he decided to do. They 
agreed to meet at the Citizens Bank and talk the matter 
over. Exactly at 8 o'clock the next morning they met. 
"Well, God bless you, old fellow what have you decided 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 179 

to do?" "I have decided not to stop seeking; I am going 
forward tonight and settle the matter." The worker 
then said "well, a bicycle can't stand up without running, 
neither can a Christian." The worker left with rejoicing 
in his heart. Songs were over, sermon preached, altar- 
call as usual and a few were coming forward. The 
leader of the song was watching the man, and hoping 
all the while he would come without his assistance. He 
waited and watched and prayed. Nothing seemed to 
move him. The worker said "Well, Lord if You will 
help me, I will go." He went to his friend and took 
him by the hand and said, "Mack, old fellow, come on — 
I know you won't deceive me." With that he straight- 
ened out on the seat with his feet in front of him, and 
his arms stretched full length, and perfectly straight on 
the back of the bench upon which he was seated, and 
said, "Brother, I just can't do it." The brother said, 
"You just can do it and you just must go. Give me your 
other hand." Then the worker braced his foot against 
the seat, and with a mighty pull said, "Get up, come on 
for you are going," and deliberately raised him to his 
feet. "Now let's go" said the worker. "Now wait till 
I get my overcoat off; it's the hottest place I ever saw." 
"Alright take your coat off, but this isn't near as hot as 
the place to which I am trying to keep you from going." 
He threw off his coat, for he was really warm, though 
the night was intensely cold and everything was covered 
with snow. To the astonishment of all, and the delight 
of his wife and daughter he was landed at the altar. 
Down on his knees he dropped and was there only a few 



180 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

moments when he arose and threw his arms around his 
wife, and told her how wonderfully the Lord had saved 
his soul. Some people didn't think "he'd stick," but he 
did. In a year or two from that time he had been ap- 
pointed steward in the church, was a teacher of a class 
in Sunday School was also secretary of the local Y. M. 
C. A. Four years after this, the writer passed near the 
home of his friend and phoned him to run down and 
spend the evening at Monette, in one of Bro. Brown's 
meetings. To the delight of all, the "chicken-peddler" 
came. Words cannot picture the change that had taken 
place in this man's life. He had not touched a drop of 
liquor since the night he was converted ; hadn't smoked a 
cigar; and had lately quit chewing tobacco. He was a 
fine specimen of Christian manhood. 

While we were seated in the rear of the big tent in 
which Bros. Brown and Curry were holding their meet- 
ing, having a real old time social visit, the choir, under 
the direction of Prof. Curry, was making a welkin ring, 
when suddenly Mack turned and said "Why Brother 
Phillips I enjoy this better than I used to a negro min- 
strel. 

CONVERSION OF AN OLD-TIME FRIEND. 

When I returned from college and found myself con- 
fronted with many church duties and privileges, work- 
ing in Sunday School Leagues and young men's prayer- 
meeting, I took hold and did the best I could at what- 
ever my pastor asked me to do. 

Having had some experience while at college of 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 181 

working 1 , and especially of singing*, when our meeting 
started I was forced to the front by my pastor; a dear, 
good man, and a blessing he was to me. I was soon 
called to assist other pastors, and finally hooked up with 
an evangelist and leader of song. We held many suc- 
cessful meetings in North Texas. The most successful 
of any meeting, however, was held at my own home 
church, Nevada. 

Time moved on; I drifted into larger and more dif- 
ficult fields. While I had many good and faithful friends, 
one of my old associates took a very great dislike to me, 
so he said, and did not hesitate to let it be known, es- 
pecially among my most intimate associates. 

On my return home for rest, these unkind things I 
would always hear. I fully decided I would not listen 
to them. But would pray for the man and try to get 
him saved. I finally left Texas and went north to assist 
Evangelist Brown in his work in Iowa and Missouri. I 
was happy all the while in seeing many strong men 
saved in our meetings" God seemed to give me a real 
living burning love for the souls of hardened men, and 
my chief delight was to land a real 'tough/ and stay by 
him till he was dragged in by the gospel net and strung 
on the Lord's line — the church. 

In 1902 I returned to my old home in Texas to 
assist the pastor in a revival. He had local help to do 
the preaching, and turned the singing and personal work 
over to me. There were forty or fifty professions in the 
early part of the meeting, and many of these were the 
most prominent men in the community, but old in sin, 



182 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

who had been won to the christian life by the most 
persistent efforts on the part of the writer. 

When the meeting was at the highest tide, and every 
group of men on the streets were discussing the great 
meeting and rejoicing at the last conversion, (of some 
old, hardened case,) I walked down the street one after- 
noon and passed a crowd of men that were telling of the 
victory of the previous service, and hoped we would 
catch old man John C. next time. I stopped for a mo- 
ment, and joined in with the crowd. To my great 
surprise, my old time friend had been listening to the 
reporter, and had become interested. When he recog- 
nized me, I shall never forget how he looked up into my 
face and said: "Ed; why, is that you have talked to 
every man in this town except me. You don't seem to 
care whether I am saved or not." He looked so sad 
when he said it, that I knew he was in dead earnest. 
I was struck to the heart, and felt that at last my time 
.had come. "Well," I said, "old fellow, do you want to 
know why I have never spoken to you about your soul." 
"Yes," replied he," I have been to your meetings, but 
you don't seem to notice me." "This is why I did not 
speak to you. I knew what you had said about me, and 
supposed that you did not have any confidence in me, 
and if that were the case, you did not want me to talk 
to you. So, intentionally, I let you severely alone." Then 
I said : "God bless you, old fellow, I will promise you 
this: "If you'll come to the meeting tonight, I'll speak 
to you, and will pray with you and for you and will stay 
all night with you in the altar, if it takes that to get you 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 183 

saved." He promised to be there. I knew he would, 
for he was then under deep conviction. 

The night service was drawing to a close; there had 
been quite a number of conversions yet I had not 
been able to locate my friend. I looked the tent over. 
He was not in sight. While the choir was singing, I 
slipped out behind the tent, on the grassy lawn, and 
walked clear around from the east to the south side. 
There I found my man, streched out on a long seat, 
with his head on the back of the seat and his feet 
stretched out in front of him. I took hold of him, and 
said: "God bless you, I have looked these grounds over 
for you; get up, come on, let's go down to the altar, 
where we can help you." "No, no, I can't go, I can't 
walk," and to my utter astonishment the poor fellow 
was under such convictions that he was almost as stiff 
as the bench upon which he was sitting. 

I put my arms under his, and gave him a lift, saying : 
"Come on now, lets go." "Oh no, I can't walk." But I 
gave him a shove, and got his legs to working, and he 
started. We got to the tent. He said : "I can't go in." I 
said : "Yes you can ; take off your hat." This he did not do. 
I took it off for him and gave him another push. This 
put him into the tent, and in the light, where everybody 
could see him. A lady friend said to his wife : "Oh ! 
there goes Brother Ed with your husband to the altar." 
This was too much for the wife. She fell down upon 
her knees and said: "Oh, let's pray quick." But she 
did not stay on her knees long. Her husband had 
scarcely reached the altar when a friend walked up and 



184 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

shook hands with him, and that touched him off. He 
gave one good cowboy yell, which turned the meeting 
into one general uproar of singing, shouting, dancing 
and laughing, that will never be forgotten in that city. 
Did he stick? "Well yes; he was teaching a class 
in Sunday school the last time I heard from him, and 
was also a steward in the church. When I visit his 
home town now, I am a welcomed guest at his com- 
fortable, congenial home." 

REMEMBER. 

We stood by the head-stone of our precious sainted 



lad. 



As the moon rose o'er the treeless plains, our hearts 

beat quick and sad; 
With tearful eyes, hearts sore with grief, we humbly 

knelt in prayer. 
We promised God and angels, too, we would meet 

him over there. 

We waited at the head-stone. All nature seemed 

at rest. 
In fervent prayer we raised our voice to Him who 

knows what's best 
We pledged ourselves to God anew, — for Him to live 

or die; 
And then He came our hearts to cheer — we sweetly 

felt Him nigh. 

The seasons come and go ; the years roll swiftly on : 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 185 

T'was winter then; 'tis summer now, and autumn 

soon is gone. 
Sleep on, dear child, in Jesus — Peaceful be thy rest: 
'Twill not be long till we shall go to be with our 

Earnest. ( 

SAVED. 

Where'er the demon drags his slimy trail 
There sin and shame in large excess prevail, 
And spread their night o'er life in sullen gloom 
Like fixed despair; the soul's eternal doom. 

Such seemed the fate of one whose bitter life 
Was sorely mixed with drink's debasing strife, 
And billiard hall with fascinating game 
Increased his guilt in deeds of sinful shame. 

But God's Evangel found this man of sin, 
And from the brink of death he brought him in, 
And at the mercy seat with earnest prayer 
He sought the Lord, and found redemption there. 

Death's costly fixtures piled in shining heaps ; 
The torch is touched ; the flame then upward leaps ; 
But, gladly mixed with sin's consuming flame 
Were praises, deep, to his Redeemer's name. 

Thus, free from sin's delusive, ruthless hand, 
He starts in life to keep the Lord's command, 
And lay his heart's best treasures up on high 
Where peace and joy in full fruition lie. 



186 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

But many evils lurk within his track 
To stop his forward course and turn him back, 
The wiley monster lays his gins and snares 
And takes him slyly, napping unawares. 

Temptation comes and he forgets to pray, 
The gathering doubt of mist obscures the way, 
And so his faltering feet went stumbling on 
Till trembling hope and joy were almost gone. 

God is good; yet, his judgments may alarm, 
And good unseen may come from seeming harm ; 
And so there came the sudden fatal day 
When one so loved, so near, just went away. 

The father's heart was crushed with sorest grief, 
No human words or tears could bring relief; 
Had slighted mercy turned a fatal dart 
To warn again this once rebellious heart? 

The preacher went — this same Evangel true — 
To try his faith and courage to renew, 
And lift the heart, now bowed beneath the rod, 
And bring him back once more to home and God. 

And when he came his spirit o'er him yearned ; 
The man looked up ; into his heart were burned 
The gracious words the preacher sweetly spoke, 
And Satan's gloomy spell once more he broke. 

Out in the graveyard's silent, sacred home, 
Their feet in earnest, holy quest did roam 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 187 

And by that new-made grave, — dear little mound, 
A holy place of solitu.de they found. 

The sun had gone to rest ; 'twas night's deep hour. 
The stars were out to light this sacred bower, 
And there as angels watched and lingered near, 
Rose prayers so deep that none but God could hear. 

The good Evangel bathed the mercy seat, 
The man for drops of mercy did entreat, 
And from the shining courts of matchless love, 
There came the light of heaven's peaceful dove. 

And o'er that little mound of holiest earth 
New life and new resolves were given birth, 
Determined in his new-found joy and love 
To onward press and meet those gone above. 

May heaven's strength to this dear man be given 
'Till from his heart his foes shall all be driven; 
Then round the throne with those he loves so well 
In glorious mansions may he ever dwell ! 

J. N. Maddox, 
Siloam Springs, Ark. 

BEGINNING AND ENDING OF A POKER GAME. 

By request of Rev. Phillips, Aug., 1910. 

The following series of pictures were made by an 
artist in West Texas for display work. On his arrival 
in the new town just about the time they were com- 
pleted and ready to go on exhibition, a shooting bee 



188 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

occurred in the same city, that, from the description 
which appeared in the city paper, everybody supposed 
these pictures were a real representation of the fight as 
it actually happened. 

Three young men were seated around a dirty card- 
table in an up-stair room, over a saloon. Money was 
staked, cards were in hand, a dispute arose. The lie 
was given — usually a dare in the West for a fight. So 
the fight began. When the smoke and dust cleared 
away and the officers arrived, one man was dead, the 
others had fled. The third one, with a hole shot through 
his body, had descended the stairs, and with smoking 
pistol in hand stood on the side walk and said to the 
sheriff as he arrived, "You had better see to Bill, up- 
stairs. I think he is fixed." When they reached the 
head of the steps they heard him say, as he struggled 
for breath, "Get me out of here quick. Don't let my 
mother know I was shot in here." Then he dropped 
back and never spoke another word. He was dead, and 
cards did it. But it was only "a little social game." 

Three years after this occurred, I was in the town 
holding meetings. One of the survivors came to my 
meeting and with the man who had shot his brother in 
discharge of his official duty, came to the altar one night 
to seek Christ. For days and nights they continued to 
come forward. Finally they arose from their knees one 
night and looked each other in the face, and said, "It's 
all off, I'll surrender," and as they reached across the 
altar to shake hands, I pushed them together and they 
fell into each others arms and wept bitterly and aloud. 



DIA MONDS FROM THE ROUGH 189 

Five years after this I was in Oklahoma, in a meet- 
ing 1 , and related this incident. At the close of the service 
the Sunday School superintendent came to me and said, 
"The man you told about is my cousin. His partner, 
Dick Cargyle who was running the gambling-hell when 
those men were killed, lives in this town. He is the 
toughest man in Oklahoma. I want you to meet him 
and see if you can't do for him what you did for my 
cousin. He went down to Texas last year to see him, 
and he was so changed and so different in his ways this 
fellow could not stand it — so he cut his visit short." 
Next day I met the man mentioned and asked him to 
come to Church. He cursed and said, "Why, man, I 
haven't been to Church but once in six years. I haven't 
had on a white shirt for six or seven years." Then I 
said, "Well, old fellow, there is something better in 
life for you. Come on to Church, and I will pray for you 
and show you." He came, was converted and is now a 
consistent member of the Presbyterian Church. He 
said to me, after his conversion, "Yes, I went down to 
see my old Pal, but> Gee, he was too good for me. When 
we sat down to the table he dropped his head and 
returned thanks, and I dropped my head and felt like 
a hound dog. I only staid one day. "But, Oh I," said he, 
"I wondered if the good God' could do for poor wicked 
sinlul me what he had done for Dol." 



190 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

HOW IT OCCURRED— DICK CARGYLE WON FOR 

CHRIST. 

"There he goes now, — that's him with a brown woolen 
shirt on — that fellow that limps." "Who — what are you 
talking about, what do you mean?" "Oh! that 'tough* 
I was telling you about the other day; that's he, he is 
the toughest man in Oklahoma and gives more trouble 
than any man in Tillman county." As Rev. S. said that 
he plucked me by the arm and turned me toward the 
fellow, as he went hurriedly limping along the street. 
"Oh !" said I, "he has a good heart in him I know, and I 
guess he had a good mother, and I am going to pray 
for him and ask God to save him." With this Dick 
passed out of sight, and I didn't see him any more till I 
met him in the church a few nights later. 

Three nights after this one of the ushers called and 
said, "There's Dick Cargyle the gambler, — I want you to 
go after him. He's the toughest bat in Oklahoma. He's 
the fellow that used to run the gambling dive in Texas 
and was a partner of Dol R. when the fellow was killed 
in his place some years ago." Then the usher said, "I 
told him you were the man who led Dol to Christ, and 
he said, 'Well, I want to meet the man who led my pal 
to be the good man that he is ; wonder if he would help 
me too?" And with that in view, he came to the meeting 
never once thinking that hundreds of people were pray- 
ing for him. When the sermon ended and the invita- 
tion was given for seekers, I slipped down to the pew 
where Dick sat, and put my arm around his broad, 
manly shoulders and looked him in the face and said, 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 191 

"Dick old fellow, I have been praying for you, I knew 
your old pal down Texas when he was tough as you 
or anybody else, and I also knew him when God saved 
him and made a clean man of him, now what I want you 
to do is to go down to the altar, and give your heart 
to Christ and let him do for you what he did for old 
Dol." "No, No. I can't do it, nor I won't do it, and if 
you don't let me alone, I'll leave the house this minute." 
'Ah, ha! I thought you were a man, and had nerve 
and backbone; if you can't stand me and will leave 
because I talk to you, why of course, I'll let you alone. 
I don't want to run you away," so I said, "Goodbye 
Dick, God bless you old fellow, they said you had nerve, 
but you haven't. I hope to see you converted right 
soon." "Well, you wont see it, — I am too mean, — I 
can't go down there among those nice people, but I 
want you to pray for me." I left him, thinking he would 
leave the house in a few moments, but his friends con- 
tinued to impress upon him the importance of accepting 
Christ. I started down the aisle, and when I reached 
the altar, Dick came almost running down the aisle, 
gave me his hand and said, "I want you to pray for me, 
but I won't stay here, I'm too mean." In a very few 
moments he came back and said, "I want to kneel here 
and let you pray for me." Down on his knees he dropped 
and we all prayed, and poor Dick tried to pray too, 
but he had been so long in sin that he had even forgotten 
the little prayer that he learned at his mother's knee. 
He left the altar assuring me that he was the worst 
man in Oklahoma and there was no chance for him to 



192 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

be saved. I assured him that Christ came to save the 
worst as well as the best, and that He would save him 
too. Next day he went rushing by me as if in too big a 
hurry to stop. I grabbed him and said, "Hold on old 
fellow, don't rush through life, you are not in such a 
hurry. Stop! I want to tell you something." With 
this he backed up against the plate glass front, began 
wiping perspiration from his face and said, "Ge-Whiz, 
Great God!" then I stopped him; he went on, "Why 
preacher, I am the meanest man that ever lived." I said, 
"Amen!" He looked strangely at me and said, "Billie 
Downs is an angel by the side of me. People think him 
a hard case, they don't know me. I'm at the bottom." 
"Yes," said I, "a real old, Mown and out/ but the Lord 
can lift you up." "Last night was the first time I have 
been in a church for six years— today is the first time I 
have had on a white shirt for nearly five years," point- 
ing to his bosom as he said this, indicating and calling 
my attention to the fact that he had gotten into a white 
shirt sure enough. Then I laughed heartily and cried 
some too, for Dick was crying between his strong denun- 
ciations of his past and mis-spent life, and his present 
determination to be a better man. "Thank the Lord," 
I said, "Dick I am glad to see you with a white shirt on. 
When a fellow begins to clean up on the outside, the 
Lord is usually working on the inside. You'll come out 
alright before long." The following night, when the 
song service was in full swing, Dick with one or two of 
his sort came in. The usher offered them a seat near 
the back door; all but Dick took the seats offered. He 




Alf Allen (see page 202.) 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 19S 



persistently pushed his way through the big crowd down 
near the front and took a seat near the singer with a 
determined look upon his face, that meant much to the 
the man who had planned and worked so hard for this 
man's soul. 

When the song service was at its highest and the 
enthusiasm was great, Mr. Phillips related '.an incident 
that happened in Philadelphia while he was with Dr. 
Chapman. He told how he had gotten interested in a 
man and prayed and worked for his salvation, but he 
quit the meeting and left the city, only to get more deeply 
under conviction and returned to the city and was won- 
derfully saved. Then Mr. Phillips sang as a solo the 
famous old song, "Where is my wandering boy to-night." 
Hearts were melted and eyes were filled with tears and as 
he sang this pathetic old song in a tender and touching 
voice, he said, "Now boys, don't go on breaking your 
old mother's heart while perhaps tonight she is back at 
the old home on her knees at this very hour praying 
for you. When he sang the last verse there were many 
tear dimmed eyes in the great crowd. Then Dr. Mcin- 
tosh stepped on the platform and said, "I am going to 
make a proposition to all the backsliders and unsaved 
people who will come out openly and confess Christ, I 
want you to come give me your hand and say so by 
doing this." He had hardly stated his proposition when 
Dick Cargyle one of the worldly men of the town, sprang 
to his feet and said, "I'm a back-slider, that means me, 
and I'll just go." So he did, and the way he went and 



194 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

the way he looked, felt and worked after that, made 
the hardest men in the great audience tremble from head 
to foot, and many of them came forward to confess 
Christ. This service brought the numbers of converts 
up to 535, as near as can be kept accurately. The way 
Dick Cargyle went to work among his friends was enough 
to make Angels in Heaven rejoice and eternity alone 
will tell the great work that has been done by the faith- 
ful evangelist, pastor and people. 

A MOTHER'S FAITH AND PRAYER. 

For nearly two weeks Mrs. A — stood every morning 
in the testimony meeting and asked prayer for her way- 
ward son. So frequently did she repeat this, that the 
people became a little worried, and finally said, "I do 
wish Mrs. A — would quit jumping up at every meeting, 
and crying about that wayward wicked boy." 

One morning I met this mother and she said, "Oh, 
brother Phillips I want you to pray that God will send 
my son home and then convert him." "Alright mother, 
I will, where is your son now, and what is he doing, is he 
a railroad man? ■ 

"No, No, he is not a railroad man, I only wish he 
were. The last time I heard from him he was at Amarillo 
or El Paso. Oh, if he would only come home, and stay 
with us in our declining years, how happy I would be !" 
Then she buried her face in her hands and began weep- 
ing. "Yes, mother A — , I will pray for your boy. I 
guess he is almost grown by this time." Several years 
previous to this, when he was yet a lad, his father used 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 195 

to travel, and work in our meeting and sometimes sell 
our books. 

Occasionally when near their home town, the boy 
would drop in to spend a few days with his father in the 
meetings. The years rolled by, the lad drifted West, 
grew to manhood and not a very conscientious man at 
that. 

One afternoon my wife was invited down to the 
house of the boy for a prayer meeting. Everything was 
cleared away in the large room after dinner, and the 
meeting was held in the family dining-room. Just be- 
fore we knelt for the first prayer, this mother stood 
with hands raised toward heaven, and said, "Everyone 
that will ask God to send my wayward son home and 
save him, will you kneel with me." Of course every 
one dropped upon their kgees in prayer. Some prayed, 
some cried, while others breathed a silent prayer to the 
heavenly Father, for the return and salvation of the 
precious mother's boy. The interest in the meeting was 
growing all the while. It was moved down town to a 
big tabernacle. Some of the toughest men in town were 
converted. 

Something went wrong — or right I should say, up at 
Amarillo. The boy got anxious about home, became 
alarmed, imagined something had happened, mother sick 
or » father was dying. "I must go home," said he. 
Mother was heart-sick, for his salvation. 

He packed his grip, got a quart of liquor, and hit 
the road for home. Before he reached Ft. Worth, he 



196 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

had drunk the quart, got another at Ft. Worth, and drank 
it before he reached Greenville. 

When he arrived at home it was about mid-night. 
He tapped on the door, and his dear old mother res- 
ponded with a "Whose there." "Its me, mother." The 
door opened and the heart-sick boy was warmly wel- 
comed back to the old home. 

"Are you sick, mother?" "No." "Is father well?" 
"Yes." "Well, what in the world is the matter? I have 
been so restless, uneasy and anxious about you both 
for the last few days, I could not stay away. I thought 
sure there was something wrong." 

"Nothing is wrong with us, son. Go up to your room 
now and go to bed. You are tired and weary. Your bed 
has been ready for two or three days. You will find 
the covers turned just as you left them. Towels, comb 
and brush are all there for you just as you left them. 
Go to bed my son and rest and we will see you in the 
morning. God bless you, good-night." 

She did not see the boy until ten o'clock next day, 
when he came to the altar for prayer. 

When he awoke next morning, it all seemed like 
a dream. "Well, here I am at home again. 'Seems so 
strange, wonder how this came about. Oh! I am so dry, 
I must have a morning starter — eye — opener." 
Down to the joint he went. "Say, I am thirsty Joe ; got 
anything?" "No, nothin doin." We are all on the 

"water-wagon." "On the water-wagon, that beats h . 

I'll go over to Sam's, I'll get it there." "Hello," Sam. 
"Hello old man. When did you get back?" "Just got 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 197 

in last night. Say, Sam I have cob-webs in my throat, 
I am so dry." He twitched one corner of his mouth 
and winked his eyes, saying, "Give me some poison-bug 
juice, brain* killer, or any old stuff that will start »a 
fellow/ 

"Cut it out, cut it out, get in the band wagon, I've 
joined the "White Ribboners ;" no more bug juice in 
mine. Come let's go to church, its time now. We are 
all on the water-wagon. Come and go and get in with 
us." "No, I'll not go to your old d-m meeting." This 
said, the door closed, and all went to church. 

Air. Anderson drifted down the street with the crowd 
not expecting to go to the meeting. But when he got 
near the tabernacle, the crowd was headed that way. 
So he followed the crowd and was soon seated in the rear 
of the great congregation, scarcely knowing how he had 
gotten there. The song-service was in full swing. He 
was a good singer, so he joined in (rather enjoyed it.) 

Requests for prayers came next. Up jumped his dear 
old Mother, with tears of joy streaming from her eyes 
"Praise the Lord," she said, "My boy came home last 
ni^ht, God has answered that much of my prayer. Now 
please pray that he may come to the meeting, and get 
converted to-day." The boy was there and heard the 
request. It sent conviction to his heart. He thought he 
would leave the meeting, but decided to stay until the 
sermon was over. 

Then Mr. Andrews arose, took his text and proceeded 
to preach, what he supposed would be the last sermon 
of the meeting. The altar-call was given, the organist 



198 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

was the first one converted. Then I walked back into 
the great crowd ; just as I got near the back door, a large 
fine looking young fellow grabbed his hat, and started 
for the door. I took him by the arm and said, ''Hold on, 
dont go — the meeting is not over yet." "Oh, but I've 
got to go." "No, you havent you have got to stay." 
"Too hot for me here, let me out." "I fear you are going 
to a place hotter than this, you had better stay and get 
used to it." All this time I had not recognized him. He 
looked me in the face, and I said, "Isn't this Lucius 
Anderson." "Yes, Mr. Ed." "Well, listen to me Lucius, 
you have run from God, you have run from the preacher, 
but if you run from your old mother, you havent a par- 
ticle of man-hood left in you. You must not go." 

Then Steve Green stepped up and said, "Cut it out 
Anderson I had it to do." Then he looked up and said, 
"Pray for me." On his knees he went. He prayed, 
Green prayed, his father prayed, then that dear old 
mother turned her gatling gun of prayer loose, and be- 
fore she had finished, the boy was up on his feet, shak- 
ing hands and praising the Lord. 

Those dear old people almost raised the roof off the 
tabernacle. Mr. Anderson went into the choir right 
then and went to singing, "Tell mother I'll be there." I 
turned and pointed to him and said, "I pray God will 
call him into the work of a singing Evangelist." 

So it was only a few weeks until he joined us in a 
meeting, and was splendid help. In a few months he 
went to Chicago to Moody Institute, to take a course in 
vocal music, and is now a good Gospel Singer. 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 199 

The two foregoing photographs are of him, before and 
after his conversion, showing what the grace of God 
can do for a man. May he live long to sing the gospel 
and lead many souls to Christ! 

I count him one of my most interesting nuggets 
among all the Diamonds of this book. 

Neither of these pictures was made for this special 
work. In looking through his mother's collection of 
photos, I found them, and asked that I might take them 
along in my work, to show to the young people. 



CROWDS AT ST. LUKE'S CHURCH. 

With two weeks' campaigning in "The King's Bus- 
iness" completed, down-town workers of the Thirty- 
fourth Evangelistic District started last night on the third 
week of what promises to be the most successful religious 
crusade ever attempted in that part of the city. 

In the midst of a thickly populated section, St. Luke's 
Methodist Episcopal Church, at Broad and Jackson 
streets, the place of meeting of this district, has been 
the magnet, toward which thousands of persons have 
been attracted. And better yet is the fact that within 
such a comparatively short time nearly 300 conversions 
have been recorded by the evangelists and workers in 
charge. 

Catering to the manifest desires of the people, Evan- 
gelist Lovic P. Law and Soloist E. G. Phillips have made 
music and congregational singing tihe feature of the 



200 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

meetings. The success of their endeavors they attribute 
in a greater part to song. 

The singing of a union choir of fifty, selected from 
the nine churches in the district, has been supplemented 
by an orchestra of twenty young men, comprising the 
Messiah Reformed Church orchestra. They are under 
the leadership of the Rev. Edwin J. La Rose, pastor of 
that church. With a desire to share some part in the 
work of evangelism, these young musicians have joined 
nightly in the services and greatly aided the evangelists 
and pastors. 

On no night has there been an attendance of less 
that 1000 persons. Last Sunday night the big church 
was taxed to its capacity. By actual count of the ushers, 
more than 2,200 persons attended the Sabbath evening 
service. 

Centrally located, and offering every advantage for 
the holding of just such an assembly, St. Luke's Church 
was wisely chosen as the meeting place of the district. 
An imposing structure from the exterior, and with an 
interior of handsome design, St. Luke's Church has 
been in use since 1896, when it was dedicated by Bishop 
Cyrus D. Foss. 

The main auditorium has a seating capacity of 1500 
persons. To the north side is a wing in which the Sun- 
day school department is located. This wing is readily 
joined to the main auditorium by the raising of a parti- 
tion, and the seating capacity is thus almost doubled. 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 201 

Granted an annuity of $20,000 by the late Mrs. Mary 
Burton, the congregation of St. Luke's recently built 
the Burton Memorial Chapel. Under the direction of the 
pastor the Rev. George Gaul, the same congregation has 
recently erected on a plot adjoining the church building, 
a fine new parsonage. 

Assisting the evangelist in the campaign are: The 
Rev. G. W. Drew, pastor of the Third Baptist Church ; 
the Rev. J. J. Hunt, of the Bethany Methodist Church ; 
the Rev. Edwin J. Reinke, of the Evans Memorial Pres- 
byterian Church ; the Rev. E. S. Carson, of St. Paul's 
Protestant Episcopal Church; the Rev. William Martin, 
of the Passyunk Baptist Church; the Rev. Edwin J. La 
Rose, of Messiah Reformed Church, and the Rev. George 
Gaul, of St. Luke's. 

This district is more than doing its share in bearing 
the expense of the present campaign. The collections 
have been unusually large as a result of the big attend- 
ances. This department of work is under the personal 
supervision of the Rev. George Gaul, the convener of the 
district. 

With a wide experience in dealing with men of all 
classes, Evangelist Lovic P. Law is peculiarly adapted 
to the work of this district. He was formerly a United 
States deputy marshal in Oklahoma and before his con- 
version was the lessor and manager of a theater in Texas. 
Soloist E. G. Phillips was at one time a cowboy in Texas. 

The personal workers have entered into the work of 
the campaign with a spirit of aggressiveness and willing 
service. — Philadelphia, Pa., North-American. 



202 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 



PRIZE FIGHTER NOW EVANGELIST. 

Alf Allen, drunkard, gambler and saloon keeper, was 
saved by a song, — he is now saving others. Went into 
Torrey meeting intoxicated and awoke to find salvation. 

Five years ago a battered, brokendown, dilapidated 
drunkard wandered down a narrow street in Ottawa, 
Can., and stopped before a long, low skating rink, look- 
ing about him as if in a trance. 

From within he could hear hundreds of voices rais- 
ed in song, and compelled by some strange force, the 
wanderer passed through the narrow door. Once with- 
in, he was urged by gentle hands down the aisle facing 
a high platform. The singing ceased and the drunkard 
dozed off. 

Suddenly words uttered by the evangelist — for it 
was a Torrey-Alexander evangelical meeting — caused 
the sleepy man to look up. What was that he heard? 
A coward? Was that small man on the platform calling 
him, a former champion prize fighter — he who had never 
been frightened in his life, a coward? 

"A man who drinks and entices others to drink is a 
coward," said the evangelist. "A man who gambles and 
entices others to gamble is a coward." 



TAUGHT TO BE PRIZE FIGHTER. 

Allen's life was one of the hardest. He was born 
in 1869. Four years later his parents removed to Mont' 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 203 

real, where he lived until he became acquainted with some 
prize fighters, who taught him the profession. Then he 
went West and took up fighting for a living, coming out 
victorious in almost every battle. 

The Canadian papers were full of his victories for 
several years, until one night he fought 3 1-2 hours in 
the ring, only to emerge from the grueling match with 
two broken hands. He gave up the ring and purchased 
a roadhouse and saloon. 

"From that time on," he said, "I became a sport 
proper and began drinking. I went from bad to worse. 
One night I became mixed up in a saloon row and was 
knocked unconscious. My parents were notified that 
I was dead. When I got out of the hospital I began to 
drink again. One month, during which I had remained 
sober most of the time, a theatrical manager promised a 
large sum of money to the man who could stay ten 
rounds with a fighter he had with him. Some of my 
friends persuaded me to try. I did and came out of it 
with two broken ribs, a newly broken hand, and all in. 
I started to drink again and was sent to prison for six 
months for being drunk. Later I was reformed." 

Allen entered the Moody institute in Chicago on 
July 14, 1906, and remained there three years. Since he 
finished he has traveled through the old territory in 
which he fought and has done much good. He will hold 
an extra revival meeting at the Prospect mission Monday 
evening and says it will do anyone good to come. 
CALLED COWARD AND REFORMED. 

Being called a coward was evidently too much for 



204 DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 

the hearer, and he raised both hands. Friends assisted 
him to the floor before the evangelist, and he was a 
reformed man. 

"Yes," said Rev. Alf Allen, evangelist. "I was a re- 
formed man, and now I am doing what I can to aid 
other men who are in the condition I was at that time." 

Alf Allen is a short, heavyset man, square-shoulder- 
ed and with a regular fighting face. He has come to 
Cleveland to assist in the work at the Prospect avenue 
Light and Hope mission, and is doing some great work. 
He points to his record as the hero of more than 200 ring 
fights, a saloon keeper, drunkard, confidence-man and 
gambler, and then to his present work with pride and as 
an excellent illustration of what God can do for even a 
down-and-outer. 

"I want to give the devil a knockout blow," said this 
wonderful little man. "He lent me a few things for a 
time and then he took 'em back with interest. I used to 
thing he was a friend. He fooled me good and plenty." 

"I think that you can sign that statement Alf Allen," 
concluded the still scrappy preacher. 

A song entitled "The Glory Song," which was made 
famous during the great Torrey and Alexander revival 
meetings in the country in 1906, was the real cause of 
Alf Allen's conversion, he says. 

"I was first impressed by it when I was in prison 
a few weeks before I wandered into the meeting," he 
said. "Torrey and Alexander distributed copies of it 
through the jail, and later I could hear it sung in the 
chapel. It touched a soft place in my heart and made 



DIAMONDS FROM THE ROUGH 205 

me think of my former friends and my parents. It was 
the same song which I heard when I stopped outside of 
the rink." 

Cleveland, Ohio Daily Paper. 



tio. 149. Gbe tramp'0 prater. 



(Solo or Quartet.) 



Warren Collins. 




1. Near the camp-fire's flick'ring light In my blank -et bed I lie, 

2. Sad - ly sings the whip-poor-will In the boughs of yon-der tree j 

3. Mid the stars one face I see — One the Sav-iour called a- way- 

4. Fainter grows the flick'ring light As each em - ber slow-ly dies; 



PW^ 



Oaz- ing thro' the shades of night At the twinkling stars on high; 
Laugh-ing-ly the mountain rill Swells the mid-night mel - o - dy. 
Mot)i-er, who in in - fan - cy, Taught my ba - by lips to pray. 
Plain-tive-ly tbe birds of night Fill the air with saddened cries ; 




O'er me sp:r - iw in the air 
Foe-men may be lurk-ing near 
Her sweet spir-it hov-ers near, 
O - ver me they seem to cry 



Si-lent vig • ils seem to keep, 

In the can-yon dark and deep; 

In this lone- ly mountain wake; 

'You may nev-er more a- wake I" 




As I breathe my childhood** prayer : "Now I lay me down to Bleep.' 
Lo, I breathe on Je - bus' ear, "I pray Thee, Lord, my soul to keep." 
Take me to her. Saviour dear, "It I should die be -fore I wake." 
Lo, I lisp, "If I should die, I pray Thee, Lord, my soul to take." 




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